Still Young

it is not so unbecoming of me to thought of things and persons out of the blue. Just this week, I was toying the idea of writing something about Miko and Tien-Tien with no apparent reason. This time I finally have one. Those two girls who were in grade 4 the last time I saw them, are graduating this March. Soon they'll be freshwomen, then sophomores and before you know it, they'll be college students.

I felt very blessed to facilitate them once in a recollection, that was in college. That was the first and last time I spent time with them. Until now, I consider them my babies. Among the many pupils, the two had a special place in my heart, not because they are beautiful. It is because I learned and found vital lessons in them that they became indelible in my memory. Tien-Tien is a simple girl who has a vision for change. At an early age, I found in her a potential leader who is considerate and open minded. She only needs to fight and overcome the fears in her heart and mind. I can see in her eyes a child who still needs the guidance of a model and mentor. Miko, on the other hand, is a tough girl. She is a daughter of a Japanese father and a Filipino mother working in Japan. She is living in Tagaytay with her Grandmother and cousin she consider as a n elder brother. She loves her cousin that much who happened to be a classmate of her.

A child can teach me lessons I will never learn in a textbook. More than anything else, they can provide answers to some childhood questions I learned to outgrow as I mature.

In today's Gospel Reading, Jesus featured the little ones as the most deserving candidates for heaven. As if telling us that those who died in the murder initiated by Herod are now in heaven. Jesus wants to awaken the child inside of the apostles whom they may have forgot in a very long time dealing with an adult centered customary. Maybe the hearts of the apostles ceased being receptive. Maybe they became too doubtful instead of trusting in God. Maybe they lived life favoring arrogance more than innocence. Such qualities we can find in a child is now missing in the lives of the apostles.

There is wit and hilarity in a child. There is vivacity and fresh energy that can be seen in their innocent faces. There is simplicity and transparency in their every actions. They can lighten up a crowd or magnify a morning with their smiles. These are the good traits of a child. I guess that was the infectious traits imparted to me by Miko and Tien-tien. The same reality that is in Shaira and Mardee as little girls. The same attributes I can find in that boy of prophecy whom I still have to find out.