REMINISCING YESTERDAY SAME OLD, SAME OLD!

by Macy Recinto                

Sunset is coming and memories of Jack was coming back while he is in the crowded place where people attended mass at San Sebastian church. The fragrance of dry sampaguita makes him feel nervous because every time he smelled that fragrant, all memories are coming back. 

Jack loves to take pictures, he always goes wherever he wants to go just to take beautiful photos. Jack is a twenty-four-year-old guy, with 4’9 of height and wants to be a famous photographer. Jack is a good photographer, but what is the problem behind the other question “why is it, he’s still not famous despite of her talent?”. 

Jack was named after a dream; his former name was Harry. Harry before was a seven-year-old kid with hydrocephalus and living in the convent of priests. He is not the typical kid who has a hydrocephalus. Actually, he’s like a normal kid because he can do what other kid can do. He is a kid gifted with brain. Harry always asks the priests about his parents and how come he was living in the church? He just always received the same answer all the time, “Our child, you are a blessing from above, we love you so much”. Harry after asking the question and received the answer always got a kiss on his forehead from all the priests. 

All priests really don’t know about the child’s parents, because Harry was just seen inside the church, down of the crucifix of Jesus Christ. He was seen by a man who’s praying inside the church. The man just heard a cry of a baby and look where the cry is coming, and then the man saw the baby and surrender it to the church. Then the priests believed that the baby was a blessing from above then they called him “HARRY”. They called him HARRY because they believed it was a fast happening in their lives as priests, instead of “HURRY” (meaning fast), they make it “HARRY” as a name. 

Harry is a good kid, even he is living in the church, he grew up as an independent one because priests taught him to do so. Priests don’t want to tolerate Harry because they believe time will fly and not at all times, they are there for him to support and guide him. Harry became a sampaguita vendor in the church, after the mass he sell it to the crowd and have his money in his small coin bank. The small coin bank is his for her schooling. Harry, even have a hydrocephalus, still manage to go to a normal school. He’s keeping his money for the other expenses at school. 

Harry’s life became miserable in the normal school, because normal kids always mistreat him. Harry felt sad, but what matter most is about how he will finish schooling for he wants to have a good future to look for his parents. Harry also wants to be a famous photographer because aside from he’s fond of taking beautiful pictures, he also dreamt that when he got famous, he will see his parents. 

Harry remembered that time of how he became known as Jack. He remembered the time when he was crying because he was thinking about his parents and if they love him because of his situation. While crying he was able to sleep on the ground outside the church in the place where the sun rays are coming.  

In the middle of his sleep, Harry dreamt about her mom. He dreamt about his mom asking for his forgiveness because he just left him at the church. Her mom told the reason why she did that to him and why she left him. Her mom left him at the church because she knew that he  will be safe there in case. In his dream he also saw how her mom suffered from cancer, he remembered one of the greatest things he could ever had. Finally, even in his dream he was called in his true name as “Jack” by his mother and kissed and hugged him tightly. His dream made him feel cried unconsciously because of happiness. As it happens, the sun kissed on his body that made him feel awake. When he aroused, he smells something, something that made her afraid because he knew that it was his sampaguita flowers that became dried. After seeing about what had happened to his sampaguita flowers, he felt nervous because that’s the only work he knows at his young age to finish studies and search for his parents alive or dead. 

This marked on Jack’s mind of how hard his situation before when he was a kid. He felt about the poverty that really sucks his situation. He experienced the bullying and starving when he was in school just to keep all his money for the other expenses at school. He experienced the heat, rain and hard work in selling his sampaguita flowers and how he goes with the flow of the life he had before. 

Jack is now his current name after finishing his degree and succeeded in life even he has a hydrocephalus. Jack’s life is more convenient than before because he has now a degree and can work and earned a salary more than before. He also knew now about his parents after searching at his young age. The only person he had after searching his parents is his dad. His dad called him “Jack” too, as it appeared also in his dream. 

There’s this one thing that he can’t reach. He can’t be a famous photographer. He didn’t know the reason why. Is it because he is disabled, or it’s not really destined for him because there is other goal that he didn’t see yet that will make his life remarkable? That was he thought about now. 

This day makes him reminisced from old same day, He remembered the things and situation he had before when he took pictures again and again until it focuses on a kid who’s selling flowers too at the church, that’s the time when he was stuck on his position and reminisced everything and back to normal when his dad taps his back after attending the mass. 

Jack is now happy with his dad and still have the connection with the priests he once with before. He just realized that everyone has its own story and we are the writer of it. We are the one who write whatever we want to write or whatever the decision we want to do. Poverty is not a problem, it’s how the person conquer this challenge and make his or her goal possible. Jack is thankful about what is he now, and what he has now. Even it’s his dad who’s only alive and given to him, at least there is one thing in his life that he can say that he still did and achieved one of his dream. He is thinking about his other goal, he just thinks that there will always be the right time for everything and we just have to wait. 

For Jack, life is like a camera, to provide or create a good shot, you must focus on the subject and use it, and take care of your camera as long as you can. Just like life, just focus on your goal and use your time wisely, remind and motivate yourself of why are you doing that big effort, and take care of what skills you have and in God’s perfect time, your dream will be given to you. And still he’s following his passion and became more motivated to achieve another goal in life