On Sacrifices and Success

The month of March is special for students, teachers and parents for it is the time of the year where school come to an end. Students who were diligent in their studies are rewarded with recognitions. And for parents whose children are graduating from college, their joy is immeasurable. Their sacrifices just to send their children to school paid off. All the hardships that they encounter all throughout these years were forgotten as they escort their children during graduation day. As children showed their appreciation to their parents by doing good in school, the parents then are grateful for everything. The success of their children was first and foremost the motivation of said parents as they find ways and means just to send their children to school.

I’ve known of a farmer (a widower) who was a dedicated father to his two daughters. He really works hard and sees to it that he can provide for the needs of his children. He was able to send his children during college in a private school. Since he spends his time mostly in the farm, his two daughters along with some relatives were left behind in their home in the city. The father visits his kids once or twice a week bringing with him food supplies and allowances. Sometimes, if finances were scarce he goes to the school of her daughters to sign a promissory note so that her daughters could take the exam. With that set up, his eldest daughter who took up nursing was able to graduate and pass the board exam. Though, the daughter was not able to practice her nursing profession, she is now a mother and a wife working successfully in one of the private universities in the city at first as a science teacher and now as an admin personnel. The other daughter on the other hand who was then an aspiring teacher (sad to say was not able to graduate due to personal problem encountered by the family at that time) is now a full time mom and is happily married. Indeed, their father’s sacrifices played an important role with regards to the success that they now have may it be in their career and family life. The farmer who passed away two years ago due to cardiac arrest, I believe died with the grace of a happy death not only because he is a good man but also he was able to witness the success of his children prior to his death.

On another note, I cannot help but recall the hardships of my own mother (my parents are separated) who works day and night just to send us children to school. She works as a laboratory technician in a photo laboratory at night till dawn and goes home to sleep for a couple of hours and reports in a clinic as an optometrist at around nine in the morning. When our mother arrives at dawn we are still as sleep, as we wake up she was as sleep. We children (there are only two of us, both girls) are the ones who will prepare for our breakfast and school lunch. That is why we look forward during weekends were we get to spend time with our mother and taste her cooking. It was also during weekends where our allowance is given to us. This was our set up during high school days. Come college, both of us children were working scholar in one of the universities in the city. My mother then quit her nightly job and was able to acquire the clinic she was working on. Our mother provides for our basic needs and school allowance until we graduated in college. After college, both of us kids were able to land a good job and were quite successful in our chosen fields of endeavors. Though, our mother is not that demonstrative, we still feel that she was proud of us. And with that, we value her for all the sacrifices she has done for us.

May we children honor and appreciate the hardships and sacrifices of our parents just to send us to school, hoping that we become successful in the future.

And for us parents, may we be reminded on these words from Ann Landers who said that “It is not what you do for your children, but what you have thought them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings.”