Counting my blessings.

It's been two weeks since I've been teaching my catechism class and believe me, it wasn't easy. For the past two weeks, I've been teaching these 80 kids about the Old Testament like the Story of Creation, Noah's Ark and they now know how to say the basic prayers and The Ten Commandments. But it's not always a one-way street. I also learned a valuable lesson that made an impact on my life. It's Gratitude. It's knowing that I'm more lucky blessed than them. and why I have a lot to thank God for everyday.  Why? Let me list some reasons why.

• I have a student whom I asked why she was absent and she said it was her brother's birthday and they celebrated it in a beach in Talisay. A public beach that doesn't have facilities or even a place to stay while I had been to Boracay, one of the best beaches in the world, twice.
• Most of my student doesn't an allowance for the day and is lucky enough if their mother will give them a peso or P5 to buy candy. While I complain if my mother gives me P100 a day. 
• They don't get enough sleep since they are required to wake up early to do chores while I can sleep as long as want and waking up with food on the table.
• Some of them haven't eaten in a restaurant in the city or even a fast food chain while I can eat wherever and whenever I want to eat. And I've tried some of the best in the city/country.
• Most of my students doesn't have a decent pair of slippers/shoes while I have a pair of Havaianas that I don't even use and dozens of pairs of shoes.
• Most of my students wears tattered clothes everyday while my closet is oozing out of clothes and I don't even wear some of my clothes twice.
• One of my students just witnessed his father go to jail after he whips his whole family and I thank God for not having a traumatic childhood and abusive parents. ( Hey Mommy and Papa, I know you're reading this :* )
• These kids doesn't have pencils (if they have, it's worn out) , ball point pens/pencils or bags while I don't even care if I lose mine and I have dozens of bags lying around the house.

It's hard to teach these kids when you always feel the guilt eating you up everyday and NO, I'm not making fun of these kids, I even salute them for having the will and determination to attend catechism classes and I can really see that in their hearts they want to know more about Jesus. They are what our future needs and everyday I pray they'll take the right path and when the hard times comes, they will make the right decisions. As they say, It's a big world and it's easy to get lost in it.