A Time To Give Back (An ESSC Batch 2001 HighSchool Reunion Special) PART 1

                It all started 6 months ago when I suggested to my friends for 23 years that why not create a cause wherein we could somehow try to give back all the blessings that God has given us because as I’ve seen it, all of my “Barkadas” have been really successful in their chosen careers, most of them working as professionals abroad. So I realized that it’s time to give back and be a blessing to others. Although, I have no idea on how to start and do it. Eventually, when I asked my childhood friends, one of them told me, why not a medical mission? Coz’ majority of us are in the medical field and I gladly took that idea. However, where and to whom we would do this mission? I asked for a sign to God if whether I should pursue this inner calling or not. 4 months ago, a reader and supporter of my blogsite Denton Caballero, of whom Clarence Ochinang (also a reader and supporter of my blogsite) has introduced my blogsite to, sent me a message that he is a 13 year public school teacher to this far and remote mountainous barangay in San Fabian Pangasinan, he shared to me his love for his students and told me that a great number of them are undernourished. And he asked me if I could visit his students so that I could make these kids smile. And right there and then it hit me, that this was the sign I’ve been praying for…

                So, I thought hard about my visit to their school and I realized that I should also bring my batchmates in my alma mater, for the single reason that I also want to share to them the addicting, fulfilling and rewarding feeling when you help those people in need. That I want my childhood friends to realize how wonderful it is to give, especially to your fellow Filipinos. And I miss my “Barkada”, so I want us to do something altogether again, an additional to our countless golden memories…

                Also, with fate’s side to us, it is also the time of our 10Th year HighSchool Reunion and what better way to celebrate it but in the month of giving, December… So all has been set, we have the calling within us, people to help, a built cause and a perfect reason and time to celebrate it. The only thing left missing is putting all of these together. 2 months before the Big Event, I opened the topic again to my batchmates and I’m glad that all of them complied with the idea and plan. We had our short term misunderstandings but we got through it and that is just normal especially when you are preparing for a Big Event like this and we are not the important ones, this event is not for us, but for the 250 kids with their parents and co-barangays that we are going to give blessings to.

                So the idea was, instead of making our ESSC Batch 2001’s 10Th Year HighSchool Reunion a party for us, why not give the money that we can accumulate to those unfortunate ones especially on Christmas month, we could do something together as a Batch and it will be more satisfying and memorable. And this great move for the Batch would make us proud for the rest of our lives and we could tell this to our grandchildren and even our great grandchildren. Another thing is, our batch started to rekindle the fire again for other batches of ESSC and other batches of different schools as well, that all alumni of all schools could see that one batch is doing this again and that there is still pure righteousness in the world amidst the negative things that are happening today, and they could get inspired again to help. So if all Batches would help again, then there will be many who will receive goodness and we will all be united in doing this and that is the spirit of Christmas after all, everyone being united in loving and giving to each other, not just every Christmas but every single day for the rest of our lives… TO BE CONTINUED…

- Soul Writer