Last year on our Marian Pilgrimage, we met a lady by the name of Grace. She was with her friends when we chance upon her at Lourdes, France. Like any Filipinos abroad, they hunger for meeting Filipinos. We are so fortunate to meet her. She really live by her name.
We met again this year, as she invited us over to her house in Cavite. That is where I got to know her stories of trials and success. I am convinced she was born to be a grace for others.
Let me tell you Grace's background. I asked her permission to write about her , and I promised her, I wont reveal her full identity. I met her mother, a widow, her two sons by her French husband, her nieces and nephews, and some friends when she invited us over to her house. They are indeed very hospitable and very friendly from her mother to her friends. We had a good lunch.
Many years back, Grace and her siblings had to work abroad to eke a living. She worked in the middle east and finally landed in France. There she met her husband, got married and had children. Every year, they make it a point to go home to Cavite and every time they come home, it's like a feast in their place.
Her life seems like a fairytale, but it was not all that easy. Grace just knew how to handle hardships and was deeply anchored to God. And most of all, she is so grateful to God, that is why she is also so gracious to her family and neighbors.
She would buy groceries, not for their needs, but for the poor in their neighborhood. They would give away grocery items to many families in their small Barrio. She does not need to invite her friends, they come to her home when she comes back for a vacation. Her house is always filled up with family and friends. And she loves to do it....and I see that she is so happy doing it.
She inspires me, I want to also be a grace to others like her... who lives by her name... Grace!
God bless!
