October 29th – Awaken to Blessings!
There’s something about 7 a.m. and my dog, Philo. He never sleeps past 7 and I can always count on him to get me up with or without my approval. The exception is on Sunday mornings when I’m the first one to wake up at 6 a.m. to prepare for the day. Sunday is both a blessing and a paradox, for not only is it the climax of the week but also the end of the week, for me at least and perhaps other pastors.
It’s Tuesday morning and my week starts over. As I am sipping on my cups of coffee I reminisce over the significant of the date. Ahh, yes, it’s October 29th, the day that my dad died 12 years ago. I still remember it as if it was yesterday. I was in the garage with my sister-in-laws preparing Tongan mats and ngatus for dad’s funeral when my oldest brother came to get me. That morning, my brothers and I witness the end of my dad’s life and the date forever carved in memory.
I still remember what my brother said that morning, to remember that our parents sacrificed everything and left Tonga in order that we might have a better opportunity in life, particularly education.
Sometimes I look at some of our Tongan youth and young adults and wonder why is it that they don’t understand, value, and appreciate education? Don’t they know that their parents and/or grandparents also have similar stories to that of my parents? Haven’t their parents explained and instill this value in them? Don’t they know that thousands of children around the world fight for a spot to attend school, and even then parents pay a great sum, and, yet, many are still left without the opportunity? Don’t they know that Tonga have one of the highest rate of literacy in the world per capita at 99%? Tongans living in Tonga can read and write in Tongan, and many times they can also read and write in English. What does that say about us Tongans living abroad? Many do not even speak, read, or write in the Tongan language and are thoughtless to culture and tradition. Don’t they know that language is a key element to survival of a culture and tradition? Yikes! Makes my stomach turn!
In a society where it prizes individual accomplishments, we often forget that we come from a culture that thrives on family and community, that there’s no distinction between first and second cousins from our own brothers and sisters. Nuclear family indeed is defined differently in the Poly-nesian CommUnity.
I wonder, are we taking advantage of the endless resources available to us in our adopted countries? Why can’t they see what I see and take advantage of the opportunity? Yuk! 😦
But isn’t that true of life, we take things for granted when we have them. And we wish for things when we don’t. We don’t try as hard when we know there will always be something else. We complain way too much and appreciate way too little. We consume more than enough and waste a disgraceful and outrageous sum.
Ahh, life, we are infinitely blessed yet we do not know it. May we be awaken to that reality. May you be awaken to your blessings!
a journey in existence 