I remember way back 2006, I was in Leuven, Belgium for the 1st stop of my year-long Erasmus Mundus Master in Bioethics program. It was the first time in my whole life that I went abroad, at was also the first time I was also away from my family for a period longer than 2 weeks. And Christmas was approaching. And as the day of Christmas drew nearer, an unspeakable longing, or maybe even deep sadness was also growing in me. It was only then that I came to fully realize that, I think I then have an idea of how OFWs felt too during such times. I was just blessed that out of nowhere, a very dear friend, Fr. K. Masong, invited myself and my 2 other Pinoy classmates to a blessing of a Pinay's house in Luxembourg on Christmas eve. Salva vida. Life saver. That indeed saved me from such deep sadness and longing. I've long forgotten her family name now, but the nickname of the owner of the house blest by Fr. K. was Ate Chari. Ate Chari and her family shared with us their food, but most of all shared with us their warmth and treated us like family. It was just an overnight sojourn, but it provided me enough energy to eventually finish resolutely the remaining 7 more months of my program then. I'm home here now with my family in Davao. Very contented, feeling blest, on Christmas break from my Erasmus Mundus PhD program this time. And as such, it's my deepest and sincerest prayer that lost, longing, sad souls like I was before, will also find the warmth and welcome that people like Fr. K. and Ate Chari extended to me. Mga Kabayan, you may not realize it, but an overnight of kindness will tide our fellows towards an eternity of hopefulness and meaningfulness. I wish and pray everyone warmth, in the midst of possible coldness; sharing, in the midst of possible need; compassion, in the midst of possible sadness; a home, in the midst of strangers. Warmth. Sharing. Compassion. Home. Let us be, specially this Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone! God bless us all!
