Anne Ailis Policarpio –
My dictum in life has been: What do we live for if not to make life easier for one another? I recently had a pleasant experience through my sharing that doubled my joy. For some years, I had a piano at my home. I looked for ways to give it away to someone who is a trained pianist and would take care of it and use it well. I wanted to give it to a trained pianist. The idea of giving the piano away was there sometime in mind.
After floating the idea to my friends, and colleagues, I shared it with my friend Irin Devera whom I knew for some years. There sprang a surprise in our conversation. My friend was pleasantly surprised at my proposal. She could not believe when I shared that she could have my piano free of cost. Then Irin narrated this. It has been many months; her elder daughter Ruth had been praying for a piano. She was after her mom to get a piano for her. Ruth kept track of the advertisements for piano on Facebook and the Best Buy Canada. The ones among the ads she liked were expensive. She had been sharing with her mom Irin now and then that she wanted a piano to keep fresh and to master her skills of playing the piano.
Ruth playfully complained to mom, “Why cannot I have the piano that I love to play with? Why does God not give it to me so fast? Why is Jesus testing my patience?”
To the Devera family, gifting of the piano turned out to be just an act of God – an answer to their prayer. As per the family and Irin, the piano from me was a sure answer to her daughter’s non-stop daily prayer. Regarding the piano, Irin and me never had a conversation in the past though we both knew each other for a long time. In the process of sharing the piano, both of us had so much happiness.
Irin’s family was in the seventh heaven to have learnt that the piano would soon arrive at their home. Primarily, the whole family was happy for Ruth. After finalizing the process to bring home the piano, the whole family of eight fetched the piano from my home. I was thrilled to see how the whole family made it a joyful experience. Their faces were like they won a lottery ticket of a million dollars. I experienced how happy they were. After fixing the piano at Irin’s home, the six children took a video of themselves singing a song of gratitude, and sent it to me expressing joy, and happiness. In the video, Ruth herself played piano with much joy. I had tears of joy while watching the video. I found my joy doubled looking at all the smiles of my friend’s family. The lyrics of the Filipino song may be translated in English as: “Thank you, we’re together again. … Thanks to you, my friend. Thank you, thank you” Salamat – The Dawn and https://genius.com/The-dawn-phl-salamat-lyrics.
Through the event, we could pick up some life-lessons:
• My intention was just to share the piano with someone who knew how to play it. I shared the piano because of the value of sharing. Irin had a heart to acknowledge the goodness inherent in the sharing. She did not stop with that. She involved her whole family of eight members in the family.
• In this event, an honest sharing of resources has turned out to be an answer to the prayer of my friend’s daughter who had been knocking at the door of Jesus’ hearts many times. But the answer came through the kind gesture unknown to her (in God’s time).
• Answer to prayer is around when someone opens her/ his closed hands and starts sharing. Here I happened to be a sharer, and tomorrow you could be in my place.
• Genuine and honest sharing builds friendship. It deepens friendship. It strengthens the bond. It makes us smile again.
• Here in Canada, most families share their resources with the newly arrived immigrants so that their initial time of settling does not cost them financially. Additionally, the family shares its resources when they are well off with the newly arrived immigrants. The unending circle of sharing goes on.
• “Anyone can find the dirt in someone but be someone who finds the gold.”
Today when you go to bed, do not give up on your prayer for something that you have been praying for. Continue praying if you have been sincerely asking from God. There may be someone around you who may surprise you with a gift you have been praying for. You could also walk around your home, and have a look at the closet and kitchen, ask, “do I have at home/close things that I do not use any more and I am not in need of it.” Maybe, my sibling (my parent/ uncle/ nephew/ niece/ cousin/ co-worker/ needy neighbour) needs it and the longtime friend who cannot afford it. Even some could have a look at their savings and reflect: “Do I have some extra savings (time/ talents/ resources) which could be shared with the institute (in my neighbourhood) that provides shelter to senior citizens, and homeless children.” It is through the tiny knots of friendship that God is bridging angels in human form to fill up with much joy and happiness.
I continually thank God for the opportunity to bring smiles to my friend’s family. How would you like to respond? What shall we do to spread happiness around and build the faith of the people?
Today I had an opportune moment to fulfil my life-dictum: “What do we live for if not to make life easier for one another?” What is your life-dictum? Shall we put in a little more effort to make life easier for others, and make them smile again? Shall we be the reason for someone’s smile today!
The author is a Filipino Canadian. She is a single-mother of two beautiful children Danielle and Alan Paul. She is a wellness coach. She wakes up each day living a purpose-filled life to transform one life at a time physically, emotionally and financially. She holds a BSN Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of the Assumption in the Philippines. She obtained a Transition to Nursing from John Abbott College in Canada.