Seasons

To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal ...
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance ...
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

The Low Season

Upon pondering on these bible verses, I recalled how our family started out.  I used to wonder how it is to have good things in life when I was a kid.  I would qualify our family as below average in terms of finances then.  I remember how papa and mama worked hard for a living, papa the most I should say.  Since we were financially low, papa did everything to provide for the family.  He went from one business to another.  From the smallest to what I call the "biggest" in terms of how he has provided well for our family.  From harvesting and selling water spinach (tangkong), selling fish, selling perfumes, selling hardware products, gas stoves, name it and he has sold it all. We had sure had our humble beginnings as a family.  My brothers and I used to sell plastic cellophane in the entrance of NCCC Supermarket since papa has a stall in its sidewalk selling just about anything.  We had a bicycle.

The Transition Season

            From the sidewalk of NCCC Supermarket, papa shifted to the ukay2x and photocopier businesses.  It was a boom.  During that time, they were able to send us to private schools, college for me and high school and elementary school for my brother and sister.  I couldn't remember a single examination day that we had a problem paying for the tuition fee. The basic needs were provided then, just the basic.  I even pitied myself then because among group of friends during college, I felt I was the poorest.  I had the least allowance.  I used to joke to a friend that someday "I will be able to climb that mountain." We had tricycle and tamaraw. 

The High Season (Harvest time)

            Now, my brothers, my sister and I have our own work.  My eldest brother is now a Captain, my sister is a nurse in Norway, my younger brother is a musician and I am a teacher.  We can now provide our needs and even some wants, enjoying things that we were not able to have then.  We have at least achieved some things in life and are continuing to achieve more for a better future while papa and mama are now retired just enjoying the fruits of their labor, season of harvest more of.  We may not be "rich" as society would define it, but financially I can say that we were able to surpass that low season as a family.  At least at this point, we have that motivation and drive to do what we can to achieve more and cultivate more what mama and papa has planted and continue to harvest as much as we can.