What are our gifts?

THE New Year is now only a few days away. December 30, Rizal Day, is happening even sooner. If there is anything that these two years of the pandemic has taught me more deeply, it is to insistently find that courage to be grateful amid all the challenges and uncertainties, and to care for the important things in life, including ourselves.

It made me remember one of the assignments we were given when I was taking my teacher’s degree. The assignment was “What are my gifts? How did I nurture them?”

1. The gift of being born. I was born as a healthy 8.8-pound baby at the Metropolitan Hospital in Manila. I consider it as a gift because my mother had a miscarriage, before I was conceived.

2. The gift of appreciation of many people who loved me in my childhood. First is my Grand Aunt, who reviewed with me each night and each morning because my memory at age 4 was as poor as an 80-year-old’s. I had a grandfather with whom I shared the love of pandesal, bihon and ube ice cream with. And of course, I had my nanny, Manang Eyang, our laundry lady really who pushed me to do my best in school by rewarding me with a bag of Chippy.

3. The gift that my parents were both visionaries and hard workers. We were never made to feel less because we were all girls. My dad always believed we could achieve what any boy can, maybe even better. My mother was a critic like all mothers, but she showed us passion.

4. The gift of art. At 4, I remember painting one afternoon. I remember learning at preschool that week to put some color on one side of the paper then folding it to create a mirror image. This began my journey for art and colors.

5. The gift of my faith in God’s providence. I love stories and personalities. I look at each person and experience as yet another book to know and love. I love reflecting on each experience, and thanking God each day for these stories to learn from, and to transcend to people around me. The best providential gift I received from God is my family. I am a mother of two vibrant kids and a wife to an ever-understanding husband. I work for my dad and get to work with my younger sister, who is almost like my “firstborn.” I enjoy spending time with my husband’s family, and they have been real siblings and parents to me. I have colleagues at work who share my drive and passion, maybe even more. I have great friends—old and new, from school, work and outside of work—with whom I foster deep bonds.

6. The gift of passion. Passion for me is that zone of toil, where you are deaf to the world. It goes beyond the need to achieve or prove something, but simply appreciating the gift “to be.” I was once told that I was lucky to have passions because not everyone does. It made me more conscious to relish the gift, and to hope people I love also find theirs. My passion has always been with kids and the arts. If I were not in business, I would have pursued a career in teaching and painting.

I have been asked how do I nurture my gifts. I believe that for each role I was gifted with, there is “work” to be done. Work for me is never confined to any four-corner office. Work for me has always been an opportunity to experience and learn. Above all else, work for me is its own reward. I work hardest to be a good working mom.

I read so many books and articles for parenting, business, the spiritual, and biographies. I have attended many talks from experts. What I have always stood by is convergence and consistency in my role as a mother and an employee. I believe that motherhood is a gift to our workplace—and our work is a gift to motherhood. Motherhood teaches us a lot of great values to be patient, fair and nurturing. Whether I like it or not, I am a role model to our kids, especially in their earlier years. Because of this, there is great accountability to be assumed. I am responsible for a gift of life and how it can contribute to society one day. I bring these values in being an effective leader to my people.

On the flipside, the workplace throws me a myriad of tasks and experiences that hone my ability to efficiently manage situations. Strategic and long-term thinking methods have always proven effective in driving a company’s success. I share to my kids what my day was like at work and how I was able or not able to handle things.

Looking back at these answers made me see the many things I am grateful for, as well as what I wish to value even more moving forward. I have always valued relationships. I hope to continue nurturing them. I am grateful I am given the chance to pursue my passions, especially in education. I hope to also take on the challenge my husband and my friends constantly push me to pursue—self-care while caring for people around me. I am glad I found the book One for Me, One for You by Eva Olsen.

This coming New Year, I wish all of us this simple yet meaningful abundance each one of us deserves.