Hero

Hero

 

            Once there was a little girl who dreamed of becoming a hero to make a difference for her family. She was Eding, and her own fairy tale started 56 years ago in a small bungalow house somewhere in the not so far away city of Silay, Negros Occidental.

 

            The fifth among the twelve children on their family, Eding’s eyes was bared on the real world at an early age. As one of the oldest, she weighed some sacrifices for her younger siblings’ sake. Among the lists were: taking care of her younger brothers and sisters before school, selling plastic bags on markets every after school hours, collecting clams and tahongs on weekends for food, stopped schooling so that her other younger siblings could go to school, and lived a life away from her family – which is the most heartbreaking sacrifice for her. She learned how to deal with different people and to adapt to their environment. Once or twice, she found herself nursing children of other families – in short, a yaya. She became a cook, a waitress, a cashier, a laundry-woman, a sales agent, and even accepted other jobs just to feed her family at home. She was not ashamed of how would people see her, the only thing mattered for her is that to earn for her family’s future. She worked, worked, and worked.

 

            And like other fairy tales, she had had her share of the bright side too.

 

            As the years passed, the little girl who once dreamed big slowly turned into a woman. A woman full of confidence, armed with knowledge, and taught by experience. Eding managed to finish her Elementary years, her High School years in which she started at the age of 18, and a Degree in Commerce in her College. Because alongside all of her hard works, she never failed to undermine her studies, for she know that someday, somehow, that would serve as a major key for achieving her big dreams. And so, it did. She became her family’s bread and butter. Eding’s efforts from her past paid off really well.

 

            Her inspiring life story has touched many lives and still does up to now, including mine. I truly admire her confidence and dedication for her works. As a matter of fact, she had numerous awards for her service as a policewoman which testifies her as of being a very dedicated person. Yes, that little girl who was once on a rollercoaster ride before for her multitasking works turned out to be a policewoman. But she already retired, and decided to put up a small business at home where she cooks meals and sells it to her village neighbors. Up to now, she still happens to be the breadwinner and still continues to support her other siblings.

 

            As others would consider her, she is a woman with a big heart. She had managed to fulfill her mission to become a hero for her family – which turned out to be a hero for all. Her initiative of helping others mirrored the true being inside of her, and that made a difference not only to her family’s life, but also to others and herself as well. And upon fulfilling her dreams, she still never fails to look back to the things that made her the Eding that she is right now, her family, her past experiences, and God – which she considered her Guiding Light from the very start.

 

            Now, the girl who once dreamed of becoming a hero to make a difference for her family resides in a small bungalow house somewhere in the not so far away city of Muntinlupa, where she lives together with her husband, her son, and her fulfilled dreams.

 

            “…bakit ka mahihiya, eh pare-pareho lang namang kanin ang kinakain nyo…”, her famous line which still rings a bell in my ears whenever I’m scared. I must admit, she really did touch my life. She was a plastic bag vendor, a yaya, a cook, a waitress, a cashier, a laundry-woman, a sales agent, a keen student. She is a dedicated policewoman, a trusted friend, a caring sister, a good daughter, a humble Christian, and a loving mother – my mother. And I’m proud and blessed that I have her, my own true hero.