“They say a person needs just these things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do and something to hope for.” -Tom Bodett
GONE are the days when I would write a very long wish list two months before Christmas and tell everyone about it (hoping that they would get the hint). I have a theory. The older you get, the less materialistic you become. Though I still have my Christmas wish list, I don’t write it anymore. Though I really want a Bratz baby doll (at the age of 20), it’s unlike 10 years ago when I would be a Scrooge all the day if I didn’t get what I wanted.
I am a spoiled brat, and I am still one. The difference now is that the things that I am throwing tantrums about are no longer tangible. I am not a child anymore, although I continue to dream.
The most awaited yuletide moment for children is seeing something beneath the Christmas tree, something wrapped in colorful and shiny paper with a graciously tied ribbon on top. But as I grow old, I have come to realize that packages and bows can never really satisfy the more fundamental things in life. So here’s my grown-up Christmas list:
Time. My schedule demands a lot from me and it’s quite frustrating that often my family is at the tail end of my priorities. So I pray for more time to conduct my life more worthily.
Peace. This morning, I was affected by the news about the Sumilao farmers and their march from Bukidnon to Manila to demand that they be granted their lands under the agrarian reform law. I actually reserve a place in my heart for these people. And I know the decision-makers have a tough job making the decision, since there are factors that have to be considered which may not allow the lands to be turned over to the farmers. But I hope that the matter can be resolved peacefully.
Love. I have lots of this actually from friends and family. I just wish it would go on endlessly not only for me, but for other people as well. I do hope that someday people would stop hurting one another and give love instead; it’s the one priceless gift that anyone can give this Christmas.
