“Wherever we are, in everything we do, there surely are valuable lessons to learn.”
This line is lesson in itself to me. This was just a part of the speaker’s ice breaker but it really did make a lot of sense. I wasn’t prepared for the many lessons and blessings that the day was about to offer.
We set foot in front of St. Andrew Building of De la Salle University early that morning for the annual campus journalism contest organized by Plaridel, the university’s Filipino organ. It was a Saturday. I could see traces of defeat and victory on the students’ faces left by the previous week’s sports fest. But there was something dominant in their expressions. Written on their faces was the excitement mixed with a twinge of anxiety and uncertainty. It wasn’t easy considering the two-hour workshop that they had the day before. With a warrior’s spirit, they still came to face the day’s challenge.
The day crawled slowly. I could feel myself gradually munching everything like a piece of dish served to me. I allowed myself to be immersed in the present. Lessons were noted with my eyes opened wide and my ears listening intently to the sound and rhythm of the place. I built my students’ confidence and reminded them to pray. It was an assurance that each of them brought armors no matter how small.
The clock ticked uneventfully until judgment called itself on the stage. Students from different schools waited anxiously for the results. I didn’t stir from my post. I was confident. Something inside me whispered words of assurance and comfort. Then came the inevitable. And like weights slowly lifted from my students, they took turns to receive their prized medal. Surprise registered on their faces, little by little replaced by smiles of triumph and success. It couldn’t be them; but yes, there was no mistake. That mini workshop took its toll, this time to beat the competent campus journalists from the competing schools.
I was caught unprepared for the success that we collaboratively achieved. It never occurred to me that God would be so generous to us. The young student writers with me garnered awards, each of them bearing the school’s prestigious name. Some of them were speechless while most of them maintained a smile that turned into a grin. Just like my comrades in the field of journalism, I felt overwhelmed. It was SATISFACTION and JOY. Seeing my students’ elation was enough. I’ve done my part. I’ve given my share. I’ve offered my time. These are very simple things but the reward was more than I’ve expected.
I managed to ask them of the most significant piece that they would bring back home.
“Wherever we are, in everything we do, there surely are valuable lessons to learn.” they said in chorus.
Yes, they are absolutely correct. The brief training that we had proved to be very beneficial. They never wasted time. Instead, they made good use of it, reading, writing, learning, and practicing. The workshop given by the organizing body also opened their minds to other possibilities and new insights. They extracted whatever juice they could get from all the dishes served to them during the day, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. And I was one of them.
The day was a roller coaster for the participants. But as twilight crawled in, hearts were pacified. Some with a sigh while others with an ear-splitting “Hooray!”. In the end, alone in a quiet room, everyone will be attuned to his own heart and ask, “What have I learned?”
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