LOVE CONSISTS OF APPLES…
“Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not die but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Nowadays, apples are mostly everywhere. Sometimes, they’re up for sale – a dozen for one hundred pesos! Gone are the days when apples, the real delicious ones, were rare and reserved only for those who could afford the price. Those who do not belong to my generation could hardly understand.
Back in childhood, how I longed to eat an apple! My parents couldn’t afford to buy one even if I got sick. Maybe that’s why I was sickly. As the saying goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. But kidding aside, I was really deprived of apples.
My sister Rosemarie, being so loving and self-sacrificing, risked a lot to give me the best and most delicious apples when she had a chance to work at the then Clark Air Base (CAB). As known to many, CAB used to be a military base of the United States that was situated in Angeles City. Having a chance to work at the base was indeed a rare opportunity. It offered the best compensation and wonderful amenities. It gave its Filipino employees the chance to buy imported food as long as they consumed it inside the base. My sister, being employed at Clark, naturally had a chance to buy apples. But she had one big, big problem. She wanted me to enjoy the apples she was enjoying. But if she were caught sneaking an apple out of the base, she would lose her job. But my sister’s love for me is worth more than her job. She risked a lot in the many times she brought home an apple for me. How she did it, I don’t know!
Lately when I told my sister how I appreciate her love for me and brought her memory to CAB, she struck her breast with a “Mea Culpa” and said, “What if I had lost my job for an apple? But then, that was what made apples sweet!”
The love of my sister taught me a lot about truly loving, which is the willingness to take risk. I cannot help but think now of the greatest love of all when the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, MY GOD risked HIS ONLY SON for my salvation.
“Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not die but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Nowadays, apples are mostly everywhere. Sometimes, they’re up for sale – a dozen for one hundred pesos! Gone are the days when apples, the real delicious ones, were rare and reserved only for those who could afford the price. Those who do not belong to my generation could hardly understand.
Back in childhood, how I longed to eat an apple! My parents couldn’t afford to buy one even if I got sick. Maybe that’s why I was sickly. As the saying goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. But kidding aside, I was really deprived of apples.
My sister Rosemarie, being so loving and self-sacrificing, risked a lot to give me the best and most delicious apples when she had a chance to work at the then Clark Air Base (CAB). As known to many, CAB used to be a military base of the United States that was situated in Angeles City. Having a chance to work at the base was indeed a rare opportunity. It offered the best compensation and wonderful amenities. It gave its Filipino employees the chance to buy imported food as long as they consumed it inside the base. My sister, being employed at Clark, naturally had a chance to buy apples. But she had one big, big problem. She wanted me to enjoy the apples she was enjoying. But if she were caught sneaking an apple out of the base, she would lose her job. But my sister’s love for me is worth more than her job. She risked a lot in the many times she brought home an apple for me. How she did it, I don’t know!
Lately when I told my sister how I appreciate her love for me and brought her memory to CAB, she struck her breast with a “Mea Culpa” and said, “What if I had lost my job for an apple? But then, that was what made apples sweet!”
The love of my sister taught me a lot about truly loving, which is the willingness to take risk. I cannot help but think now of the greatest love of all when the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, MY GOD risked HIS ONLY SON for my salvation.
