Friendship and kindness
My close friends and I had a get together before the year ended. We don’t really get together too often anymore but every time we are together, it feels nice.
We started the day by going to the grocery to buy items wholesale, that is by the boxes. Nothing really fancy, just powdered milk, noodles, sardines, biscuits, we also got fruits. Then we split the cost among the 4 of us and brought them to 3 charitable institutions. One is the Missionaries of Charity in Tayuman, then the Asilo de San Vicente de Paul and the Hospicio de San Jose.
Funny, you think you are doing some act of kindness by giving them some stuff but you don’t expect the joy that comes back in return.
The old people in the Missionaries of Charity are sick and frail but still you could see smiles in most of their faces and they sure know how to appreciate your visit! Sister Carissima who toured us around the place was also nice and so kind hearted that you feel positive energy despite the condition of the old people there.
Our trip to Asilo was not announced but we had a chance to mingle with some of the kids and teenagers there. They even did a song and dance to welcome us and thank us. It really feels nice to see street kids having direction in their life. You can see from their faces that there is a sense of accomplishment unlike the unfortunate other kids that still roam the streets. Somehow you wish they could accommodate all the street kids in their home. They can’t but still it is nice to see an institution helping out despite meager resources!
Somebody also volunteered to show us around Hospicio. Bedan was just too willing to tour us the place even if we didn’t ask for one. We got to see the home for the old men, then the old women (there were more women than men), we no longer looked at the children’s rooms since we had a chance to see them the previous years but Bedan also showed us the place for special children. Some of them are in pretty bad condition mentally but you’ll be amazed at the neatness of the place. All the places were clean and yes, the place was peaceful that somehow it rubs in on you. You feel at peace too!
It was dusk when we have finished our rounds and all of us felt good! We usually are noisy when we are together but that day, we are calm and at peace. We didn’t want to end the day yet so we decided to head to San Sebastian Church for an anticipated mass. There was a wedding going on when we arrived and there seems to be another one after, but we were lucky since there would be a mass before the next wedding. The mass for the Feast of the Holy family.
The people for the next wedding started coming in right after the mass and we were curious because they all seemed beautiful people. Most seem to be Castillian and of Castillian decent. They were in black tie and gown… a formal affair but despite the people there being regal they acted simply and naturally. You can’t feel anybody trying to outdress anybody.
So we both experienced being with people from two extreme status of society that day yet you appreciate them both. You see the goodness in them and somehow that felt like a blessing.
It was indeed a beautiful day but it was not over yet. We still had time to eat together, just the four of us. And now we are all back to our elements. We ate, we discussed, we laughed ahh yes… we were noisy once again. But I guess that will always be the case when the four of us are together… and it may seem noisy to other people but for me, it is the sound of Joy among friends. I’m lucky to have my friends. They are a treasure!
And we sure shared a day that we all treasured! The day was kind to us… we sure had a good time!
We started the day by going to the grocery to buy items wholesale, that is by the boxes. Nothing really fancy, just powdered milk, noodles, sardines, biscuits, we also got fruits. Then we split the cost among the 4 of us and brought them to 3 charitable institutions. One is the Missionaries of Charity in Tayuman, then the Asilo de San Vicente de Paul and the Hospicio de San Jose.
Funny, you think you are doing some act of kindness by giving them some stuff but you don’t expect the joy that comes back in return.
The old people in the Missionaries of Charity are sick and frail but still you could see smiles in most of their faces and they sure know how to appreciate your visit! Sister Carissima who toured us around the place was also nice and so kind hearted that you feel positive energy despite the condition of the old people there.
Our trip to Asilo was not announced but we had a chance to mingle with some of the kids and teenagers there. They even did a song and dance to welcome us and thank us. It really feels nice to see street kids having direction in their life. You can see from their faces that there is a sense of accomplishment unlike the unfortunate other kids that still roam the streets. Somehow you wish they could accommodate all the street kids in their home. They can’t but still it is nice to see an institution helping out despite meager resources!
Somebody also volunteered to show us around Hospicio. Bedan was just too willing to tour us the place even if we didn’t ask for one. We got to see the home for the old men, then the old women (there were more women than men), we no longer looked at the children’s rooms since we had a chance to see them the previous years but Bedan also showed us the place for special children. Some of them are in pretty bad condition mentally but you’ll be amazed at the neatness of the place. All the places were clean and yes, the place was peaceful that somehow it rubs in on you. You feel at peace too!
It was dusk when we have finished our rounds and all of us felt good! We usually are noisy when we are together but that day, we are calm and at peace. We didn’t want to end the day yet so we decided to head to San Sebastian Church for an anticipated mass. There was a wedding going on when we arrived and there seems to be another one after, but we were lucky since there would be a mass before the next wedding. The mass for the Feast of the Holy family.
The people for the next wedding started coming in right after the mass and we were curious because they all seemed beautiful people. Most seem to be Castillian and of Castillian decent. They were in black tie and gown… a formal affair but despite the people there being regal they acted simply and naturally. You can’t feel anybody trying to outdress anybody.
So we both experienced being with people from two extreme status of society that day yet you appreciate them both. You see the goodness in them and somehow that felt like a blessing.
It was indeed a beautiful day but it was not over yet. We still had time to eat together, just the four of us. And now we are all back to our elements. We ate, we discussed, we laughed ahh yes… we were noisy once again. But I guess that will always be the case when the four of us are together… and it may seem noisy to other people but for me, it is the sound of Joy among friends. I’m lucky to have my friends. They are a treasure!
And we sure shared a day that we all treasured! The day was kind to us… we sure had a good time!
posted by elizabeth | 7:28 PM
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