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My Greatest Gifts

Nicole Jeanica V. Lim                                                                  Writing Activity #1

III-Radon                                                                                  August 3, 2012

My Greatest Gifts

          I am truly grateful for all the wonderful blessings God has bestowed upon me. I can’t actually seem to name all of those gifts because they’re really countless. But I think I know where to start.

          First on the list is the gift of life. This gift boils down all of the greatest presents I have ever received because through this, I am able to see the beauty of this world He created. His majestic creations and how He made this world such a meaningful place to live in are such wondrous gifts that I can never repay even after living this borrowed life He has given me. Inside this package is God’s unconditional love for me. His love strengthens my faith and guides me in every obstacle I encounter in life.

          I consider the presence of my parents as the second greatest gift in life for without them, I am nothing. They are always there to support me through all the good things I do and to warn me whenever I tend to do something wrong. Whenever I feel upset because of certain problems, they comfort and remind me that I should strive to do my best in every positive outlook I have in life and to always pray and have faith in God for He is the main source of strength and wisdom. Also, whenever my parents and I are involved in a misunderstanding, a voice inside me whispers, “without their existence, how would you survive in this world, Nicole?”

          Another greatest gift given to me is the gift of education. I believe that education is one of the best gifts a parent has to offer to his/her children. I consider my parents as my early teachers because first and foremost, they were the ones who taught me how to basically read and write and most especially to uphold the values of being a disciplined student. For me, education is a gift from a gift. It acts as the core of defining who we are and what we are going to be in the near future. It leads each of us to our dream professions. I love learning. I always love exploring new things and conceptualizing what I see in the surroundings. On the other hand, I can’t also hide the fact that I am sometimes indolent in learning things which aren’t part of my field of interest but some time later on, I realize that I should be more open-minded and appreciative to what every teacher has to offer because I know that they, too, spend their time toiling just to impart their knowledge to students like us.

          Who could live without music? I could not imagine living in a world with no form of melody and rhythm. It’s a puzzle with a massive missing piece. Music is my ultimate escapade. Whenever I feel extremely upset, I put on my headphones, turn the volume up and then ignore the world. It doesn’t literally mean that I don’t give a care to things around me afterwards. It just symbolizes that it helps me express what I feel inside through the lyrics and melody of a song. Just like the lyrics of a particular song entitled “Turn Up The Music,” it says, “let the music take you, let the melody move you, feel the beat and just let go, get the rhythm into your soul.” That alone stresses out that sometimes you need to express things through music and with that, I thank God for giving me this precious kind of gift.

          Most of all, I could never live a life without having friends. I recall moments in the past where I tell myself that I can live without having friends because I believed in that point in time that I was already self-dependent and very brave. But I proved myself wrong because even though I told myself that I was already that independent and strong-willed, I could not achieve happiness because of a very special thing I lack, and that is to have people around me showing little acts of kindness. Friends are my source of laughter and blissfulness. I also believe that having a million friends who are all expressing false colors is very unworthy compared to having a small group of friends knowing you can trust each one of them. Trust is a main ingredient in maintaining a fruitful friendship. A friendship that grows with love, loyalty and understanding leads to a long-lasting relationship. That kind of relationship may bend at times, but that would never break if you truly listen to one another and if you would always show the real you. Having pride and envy to others wouldn’t help you improve yourself. Pretentiousness wouldn’t also help you gain valuable friends. Instead, you just end up hurting yourself. As far as I have experienced, true friends would always build you up, not tear you down. Real friends support each other’s success and triumph. Each of them is a shoulder to cry on whenever emptiness arises inside us. They make each of our lives more colorful and vibrant.

          All of these gifts are the ones I call the greatest gifts in life because life is nonsense without them and there is none other than God who gave me such presents. I offer Him the glory and honor in living this life He gave me and I thank Him for always guiding me to the right path.