A message from my life

THIS WEEK’S WINNER

MANILA, Philippines - Christian M. Abagat, 20, is a biology major graduate of UP Visayas in Miagao, Iloilo, and a DOST-SEI scholar. He is now the youngest science teacher at The Raya School, a progressive school dedicated to helping children discover themselves, their roots and the world around them.

Do not judge a book by its cover. We all know this. That’s why when our English teacher way back high school asked us to grab a book and write a book review, I did not hesitate to go to the school library. In fact, I love going to the school library, even most students nowadays feel dizzy when going inside. I started loving books when I was a small kid. My mother bought Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge. I enjoyed each of the 20 volumes filled with photos of different animals, plants, places, planets, geographical wonders, and many more.

I had hard time deciding which one of the many books in the library to pick. I did not select those thick books. Then all of a sudden, I noticed a thin book with an old cover. I saw no title on the book cover. Then I checked the first page. It was A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Since I was running out of time, I filled up my library card and borrowed it. I started reading it and reread some passages whenever I got lost in understanding it. Sometimes, I really fail in comprehending words especially in literary works.

I made a nice book review but almost forgot what I wrote that got my paper “100%” and a comment of “Great!” from the teacher.

Generally it’s a story about happiness. And happiness is not an ordinary word. It varies from one person to another.

What I appreciate about A Christmas Carol is it reflects Charles Dickens himself in addressing lessons that are important in our day-to-day lives based on his struggles. I still remember it was a Sunday, June 6, 2010.

That was a Sunday when I was thankful for a successful enrollment, but past 3 a.m. I received a call from my brother, who was crying, saying our father had died due to hypertension and ischemic heart disease. I was devastated.

A few days before he passed away, we were having a good time. We also had his medical checkup with my mother. I was happy seeing them eating together after the checkup. But he was complaining about his chest, his heart specifically. He felt pain most of the time. And it was not easy seeing him in that situation. I felt helpless with nothing at hand or anything to help him except to give him water and medicine.

I never showed him that we were weak and afraid to lose him because he wanted us to be strong when the time would come that he might leave us. He even told us not to bring him to the hospital even in the worst scenario because he was worried of the hospital bills even though we had already borrowed small amount of money for his medical expenses.

Like the usual story in the province, money is a problem and health is at risk.

He died three days after I left home. Maybe my father wanted me to leave our hometown first. It was a very sad story because I had a dream for our family. I wanted to make our life better and it was miserable how he died in the middle of our struggle. I really wanted him to see me at UP Sablay and be proud of me, that I made it despite all the challenges we were facing.

During my college graduation, I know he was there somewhere and proud of what I had achieved. And he will always be with us.

Maybe at the end of A Christmas Carol, the lesson would be “money cannot buy happiness.” Yet if we look around us, most are thinking and looking for money. See those kids on the streets, they are starving to death. Maybe we can use money to fill their needs as an act of charity. We can give a smile or even save a life.

Deeply moved, Scrooge sheds tears of regret when the Ghost of Christmas Past visits him. Same is true for me when that spirit visits me. I want those Christmas nights to come again. The real of essence of Christmas is family. And we cannot bring back the past. But my father’s memories will forever be in our hearts.

In life, there are always regrets. It’s hard because our choices and events are irreversible. We cannot bring the past back. Time is a limiting factor. I really wanted to have a family picture before my father died, but now it is no longer a possibility. Let us spend time with our families as much as possible and as much as there’s still enough time.

Yes, I have many regrets over what I didn’t say. That’s why I’m telling every child to say “I love you” to your parents as long as they are with you.

If the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come will visit me now, I am sure it will be a brighter day for I have learned lessons from the past and am enjoying my present days.