Her Unwavering Love and Dedication

I have an aunt (Lisa) who became a widow at the age of 46. Her husband died last year because of lung problems. The obligation of raising their 5 children is then left to her alone.

........

Two years ago, their eldest child, Sally, got pregnant without their knowledge. She was working back then to help the family’s needs. They had high hopes for her – finishing her degree, getting a decent and stable job, and having a good life in general. But then things worked out the opposite way. Even then, they still accepted her and loved her. With Sally’s child as an additional part of the family, they became happier and closer, and contented with the life they had. Not long after giving birth to her son though, Sally developed a disease – hyperthyroidism – that is usually developed with women’s pregnancy.

What’s even worse than Sally’s disease came after a year - the death of my uncle that has devastated them all. Though he has suffered for the lung problem for a couple of months and has been on and off from the hospital, they still wished for his recovery; only snatched away from them when he eventually died. Still, Aunt Lisa stayed strong for her children; a very admirable woman.

Fate seems to challenge them even more when one day, Aunt Lisa heard another terrible news...

"Lisa! You're son and my aide had a motor accident on their way home!" their neighbor told my aunt. Her son asked for her permission earlier that day to let him come with his friends on a swimming at a beach. She allowed him, not thinking of a possibility of this grave outcome.

They had him brought to a hospital immediately as he was having a heavy bleeding. He suffered from five fractured ribs and fractured right legs. They stayed at the hospital for more than a month, ran various laboratory and x-ray tests, have him undergo an operation, and many other things.

I had the chance to visit them one day at the hospital and talk with my aunt.

"Hi Aunt Lisa, how are you doing here?" I asked her. "I'm fine and your cousin is feeling better, although he's in pain, he's eating well," she replied.

"You seem to have lost some weight. Are you eating and sleeping properly?" I asked her then. "Nah, I'm fine. I wake up every now and then because I have to attend to his needs. He eats at various times, even at midnight and dawn," she explained.

I really admire her for her dedication and for serving her children tirelessly. Some people would even ask her why she wouldn't marry again so that she could have a husband who could help her in times such as this. She would just then say lovingly, "No, I have enough children and a grand daughter to love and serve. Although I'm not saying that it would not be possible because we don't know what fate would bring, as much as I could, I won't. But if there is that one man who would love my children as much as I've loved them, then maybe I would consider that possibility."

No matter how hard life is, she continue to live with positive spirits. Her son was discharged from the hospital two weeks ago and is recovering at home now. She takes care of him; from eating, bathing, to dressing, and everything he does, because he still could not do even the personal necessities without assistance.

She's also doing other household chores because Sally, her eldest, cannot perform them without being tired in the end. Her disease, hyperthyroidism, causes her to exhaust easily.

With all this sacrifices, my aunt never complained. "They're my children, no matter what mistakes they have done or what they've been through. Who would love them more than I could?" is what she always say.

I hope and I pray that she would be blessed with more than what she has given for her children.