AN ANGEL’S TALE: EMBRACING LIFE’S TRIALS, TRIUMPHS ACROSS CONTINENTS, CHALLENGES

June 24, 2025 Lifestyle

An angel was born in the land of traffic, street foods, and happy people but fell in love with the kingdom of sand, shisha, shawarma, and camels. Eleven years of my life in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a lifetime treasure—a life full of excitement and a roller coaster ride that I’m forever grateful for. My childhood memories are one of the best times. Who would have thought that everything I had and everyone I was with would no longer be mine now? I’m the eldest of four siblings. I had my first child at the age of twenty-one and had my second child at twenty-four. I was supposed to go back to school at that time, but I found out I was pregnant right before I paid for my enrollment. So we decided not to push through since I almost had a miscarriage with my first child, and I delivered her only at eight months.

We only had a bread-and-butter life before with my ex-husband, but I was actually happy with that. It was my dream to become a mother and wife. I was mesmerized by how women can be both mother and wife, doing things at the same time without a salary. But the things we planned didn’t work out. We decided to separate our ways. I had to get back on track again, so I decided to go back to school to gain what I had lost—confidence, self-love, trust, happiness, and resilience. I had to work to be able to provide for my needs without the help of my ex-husband or other people. It’s hard to balance study and work time while you have children depending on you and at times are emotional. As a real estate agent, I have to deal with my clients in real estate. I can’t even feel how to manage everything, but I don’t have a choice—for the future of my children. It’s draining. Every day it feels like the world is testing you. I don’t live to be happy, but I live to survive. Whenever I want a break to cry a lot, my kids keep on calling, “Neyney, gugutom na ko,” “Neyney, wiwi,” or “Neyney, pupu”—Neyney here, Neyney there, Neyney everywhere.

There was a time that I prayed so hard and asked God to grant my wish. I will never forget the words that came out of my mouth: “Lord, bawiin niyo na po yung buhay na ipinahiram niyo sakin at ibigay niyo na lang po sa mas deserving.” That was the time my heart crashed, and I had no one beside me. At times, my children see me crying. They suddenly come over, hug me, and ask why I’m crying. All I always say is that my head hurts. But the words they say touch my broken heart: “Iiyak mo lang yan, Neyney, andito lang kami”—words that come from the innocence of children that ease the weight of my feelings. “A mighty moment of bliss in every sip”—it’s a tagline from Mytea Luffy, where I work. This company gave me a chance to work when every other company I applied to rejected me. It’s not a huge company like a fast-food chain or any fancy restaurant, but it’s a workplace where I didn’t just have an opportunity to gain knowledge and enhance my capabilities—it’s a place where I have friends that turned out to be my new family.

The owner wanted to makeus to feel the quality taste of every drink until the last drop of it—to give comfort and make every moment memorable. Just like the tagline, I have realized that we have to seize the moment. We can’t bring back time, so we must make the most out of it. That way, we can have a memory to look back on that makes us feel like we want to return to that particular moment. There’s this amazing angel who I can never ever forget—a woman who had only a two percent chance to live. Her name is Jane Marczewski, better known by her stage name Nightbirde, an American singer-songwriter. She left my heart and mind with a reminder that, “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”

No matter how hard life throws you, you need to stand firm and never let anyone or anything bring you back to a situation you never want to return to again. A man once asked me, “Two years from now, where do you see yourself?” I didn’t answer—I didn’t know what to say—but I suddenly visualized myself working in the home I dreamed of having, being with my children, and taking care of them. Little by little, I am fulfilling the dreams I have for my family. Life is full of surprises—we do not know where it will take us. But one thing I am sure of: it will take me to the life I deserve—more than I want. It is leading me toward a life built from trials, resilience, and the shaping of my character.

Lorie Bernadette T. Laririt / Photo by Jhomel Keith Nuezca / UC-Intern