One Friday Afternoon

She's an ordinary woman, no fancy clothes on..no make up, not much accessories except for a pair of pearl earrings. She smiled her biggest smile as if she doesn't have any worries. Tagging along were two kids..a boy, 10 and a girl, 12 wearing their Scouts uniform. Their eager faces tell me the excitement that they just couldn't express in words. I looked at her again, this time watching how she talked to each of the kids to be careful and to follow instructions from their leaders.. Then she gave them each a hug and left.

My thoughts were into her...her circumstances-her life. She's a widow with two kids. She earns her living by doing laundry for other people. She doesn't have much yet she gave me a lesson I will always treasure... She taught me how to be a good woman despite the challenges around her.

I admit, I'm a worrier. When faced with difficulty, I usually fret over things and end up crying sometimes. That day I learned that life won't always turn out the way we want it to be. I'm sure she didn't want to be a widow that young...with two kids at that. She gave me the strength to move on and endure life's challenges like a tree ever spreading its branches during a heavy storm.

I know life will always have its challenges but when these challenges come, I'll try to remember that day when I saw that woman with a happy and thankful heart, full of hope for a better tomorrow ahead. I know I can also do the same...