By Avwerosuoghene Onobrakpeya
‘Nurture the habit of giving and our
world will become vast’ – Master Cheng Yen
Every day, as I turn the corner to
take the stairs to my room on the second floor of the women's dorm, I see these
words, in a framed picture, hung on the wall. These words catapult me home, and
they are a reminder of all I learned and watched as I grew up.
‘Kindness’, ‘giving unselfishly’,
these words and actions are not foreign to me as I was brought up by kind
people with large hearts. My parents did not need to tell me to be kind, I saw
it in every action of theirs, in the way they treated those around them. I saw
how they gave unselfishly. Even when we had little, it was never too little to
share. A giving heart, a caring heart, this is what I have known.
And now every day, as I see these
words in my dorm, I am always reminded of those who are important to me, I am
reminded of my father who housed so many people even when our house was small.
I am reminded of my mother who shares to all around her, who is a mother to
even those not related to her by blood.
I have come to learn that giving
goes beyond money or things of monetary value. Giving also encompasses giving
your time, your attention, your support, a listening ear, a shoulder to lean
on, flashing smile, a compliment, a ‘it is going to be okay’, a ‘加油’, being a
friend, a confidante. I try to always do all these, to give and be present.
When I joined the ‘國際難民學生英語交換學伴服務學習
Service Learning: Language Exchange Partners for Refugee Students in Turkey’
course last year, I had lots of hopes, One of them was to become a big sister
to the students I would get to work with and become someone they know they can
always rely on even though we are miles apart. I am so glad I have been able to
do that.
This Jing Si Aphorism is a daily
reminder to me and as I walk past it every time, I smile because I know very
well how important it is for us to have giving hearts, to share and to show
love. I have met so many people with large hearts in Taiwan and I have been
touched by their beautiful, giving spirits.
I know that without a doubt, our
world opens up when we choose to share selflessly.
Every day, I am inspired to become a better version of myself, to become a better me than the day before, to give more, to those around me, and to those far from me! This Aphorism inspires me, the people in my life inspire me.
沒有留言:
張貼留言