Last night, I was in a gathering. At the end of it, the
people there were asked to group themselves with their families. Then, while
the song “I will be here” was being played on the background, the husbands and
wives were asked to recall what they loved about their spouses and to tell it
to them, also to remember what they loved about their children and the same
with the children to their parents and to tell it to each other.
At first, many felt awkward about it. Most did not know what
to say. They were silently feeling uneasy. But after awhile, some found the
words to say. Then they were asked to hold hands and hug each other. Again,
most released their uneasiness through smiling. It seemed they had forgotten
how to give a hug. Some kids wanted to keep their distance. But still, they
were encouraged not to be shameful about it because they were families and this
may be the chance given to them for such a long time of not doing this. Wow!
They are families. They live together. They see each other every day, but they
felt uneasy and awkward in hugging one another and they lost their words to
communicate their love.
Towards the end, as the song was repeated, they were asked
to embrace each other while swaying and singing the song together. At this
moment, the distance were bridged, the wall collapsed, tears were shed.
As I watched them go through each step given to them, I
realized the truth of what I discovered lately: the root problem of society
today is the weak foundation among many families. What are missing today in
families are open communication, intimacy and friendship, also praying together
as a family. When it comes to matters of the hearts and emotions, members feel
awkward in opening them up to each other. Hugging is not part of their
expression of love. In fact, each member finds it hard to express their love to
one another that it creates a gap or a distance between them.
But seeing them at the end, embracing and swaying together while
singing the song, with tears flowing and melting the barriers…that was a very
touching and wonderful moment. What a beautiful sight!
-luisadelacruz
