This COVID-19 pandemic taught us a lot of lessons. From the things that we took for granted, material things that we thought we can’t live without, importance of health and lastly, the value of life.

When community quarantine happened, most of us stayed at home. Some of us were still working, many tried to discover new hobbies, and spent time with their loved-ones.

In this post, I just wanna share some lessons that this pandemic taught me so far.

Honestly, I am guilty that while I’m busy growing old and focused on my own growth, I forgot that the people around me are getting old too.

I realized this after losing our grandmother. Because of health protocols, we weren’t able to give her proper burial. Imagine losing a family member, but you can’t even see her for the last time? It hurts.

After some time, I decided to spend more time with my family even if I have to work. Instead of resting after my 8-hour job, I talk to my family members more asking how their day went even were in the same roof.

However, for the past years, my birthday was like an ordinary day—I don’t even celebrate as I have tons of work and too focused on what I can do to give what’s best for my family.

I recently turned 22, and this year, I realized that it’s not just an ordinary birthday, but a gift of life. I decided to take a break, have more moments with my family and I even cooked for them.

Because of our situation, I learned to cherish every moment with my family –heartbreaking moments or something to celebrate— it’s better to be on each other’s side.

Waking up every day is a huge blessing, what more if I have another year to live, right?

I want to thank God for blessing me another year, guiding my family every day, and giving me the courage to keep going.

Let’s value everything we have, especially our loved-ones.