The True Meaning of
“As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation -- either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
When I was in my elementary days, I had one unforgettable experience that I look back to every now and then whenever I hear the word sacrifice. In this experience, I learned and put at heart the true meaning of this word.
Our journey began at the bus we were riding on our way to the EDSA Shrine. It was actually my first time to do this and that is the reason why I am so excited to finally experience what my aunt keeps on telling me. We were to walk from EDSA Shrine to Antipolo city. I really thought it was just a piece of cake but it went the other way around. We stared to walk at exactly eleven o’clock in the evening together with other devotees of the Nat'l Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage/Immaculate Conception Parish of Antipolo. My aunt told me that there are a lot of people who goes to this church before working abroad. She told me that by going here; she will give you guidance and protection along your journey, explaining why we have to walk up to Antipolo. It’s some sort of devotion that my family and family friends do occasionally. At first, it was okay; I didn’t felt any pain or show any signs of tiredness, and only feel the excitement. Together with my family and friends we all went together to our destination with strong determination that we will finish this at no time. But as hours go by, you will feel very exhausted and you will feel the pain in your feet. There are times where we rest for a while, catch our breath and continue to walk. But despite the fact that your feet is already shouting for pain, it is still fun and you will feel your eagerness to finish what you started. While walking we just walk and laugh at the exhaustion that we feel. You will see in your surrounding the many members of the family together with the little ones and some member of their church or parish holding different patrons. When we reach the entrance of Antipolo, it became more difficult because the road is getting steep. Of course we didn’t quit and kept on going. It was about four hours of walking until we reached the church. You will see different people lying down outside the church, resting and sleeping. And we also did the same, we just scattered the pieces of the newspaper we brought and slept. In the morning, we attended the mass and made our wish. After that, we ate at a nearby bulalo store and bought sorts of souvenirs and goodies. You won’t feel the exhaustion until you go home, where you just lie down and picture everything that happened that day.
All the sufferings and hardship I felt while taking this path, I took it in a positive way, thinking that this will end soon and by the end, it will all be worth it. I may regret in taking this road at first because of the pain and exhaustion I was about to feel, yet I gathered all my strength to finish what I started. In this journey, I learned and experienced a lot of things that was my first time. And by the end of my wonderful adventure, I learned how to appreciate the true meaning of sacrifice, hardship and striving. By the end of this chapter’s road, I looked up to these words in a different perspective.
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An Unforgettable Experienced type of Feature :)
Laizaziness♥
