Appreciation

Photo from here.

"Learn to appreciate and world will appreciate your existence."

It is funny why many people don't know how to appreciate.  If there is one important lesson that I have learned last year, it is to appreciate even the littlest of things.

About a week ago, I had a conversation with a co-worker.  She was complaining about why she did not get the gift that she wants last Christmas and instead she got a coin purse worth 10 pesos.  She even said that even though she gets less salary, she gives expensive gifts.  I was shocked.  I don't know where her words are coming from.  I was supposed to give her a gift for doing little favors for me but when I heard her say those things, I thought she will probably not appreciate what I will give her.  I was offended. I was taken aback.  I got the same coin purse she was complaining about and I never thought that I would receive a gift from that person because I know that she has a financial problem.

In the homily in one of the masses that I have attended, the one that stuck to me the most is the story of one cancer patient who lived all her life serving the community.  She was of good family background, the values her parents taught her were there and those same values she taught to her children.  Even her children take time to serve the church.  Indeed, they lived a life close to God and His people.

It was beyond grasp of what her family would suffer despite their unconditional serving.  The matriarch was diagnosed of cancer, stage 4, and had only about a year to live.  Anyone who has served God and have such a disease would question His wisdom.  After her family learned about her condition, they slowly drifted away from the church.  The mother kept her faith, in fact, she became even more faithful. 

One time, during their retreat, she said, "When God gave me cancer, I thanked Him because I know that I have been invited to be in His loving arms sooner than any other people.  It is a privilege to be called by Him, anyway, He is our savior and in Him I shall be completely healed."