Posts

Showing posts from January, 2022

Letters to my son: Part 3_About Hard work

Image
 Dear Chora, You are soon turning 3 and the most adorable thing you say these days is 'I love you'. You love to hug us tight and tell us that you love us. I wish you always learn to tell everyone you love how much you love them. I am writing this letter about labor today. I hope that I am able to teach you how important hard work is and that there is no alternative to hard work in life. Somebody very close to us, when he was a kid, would come home from school, keep his dirty clothes in place, wash his hands and feet and complete his homework before he'd do anything else. He'd always put in his best efforts into his work and I always wished that I'd be able to raise my kid to do the same. The level of commitment that he showed for every task he performed was awe-inspiring. Hard work doesn't necessarily mean toiling hard physically. It means to respect our work and our responsibilities towards it and to do it sincerely most days of our life. Of course, we all have...

Letters to my son: Part 2_About Books

Image
  Dear Chora Last night when we were reading 'The Giving Tree' by Shel Silverstein, you said that the tree was sad. I never explain the texts for you or translate it for you to understand because I think it is important you learn to interpret what you read and add your own meanings to it so when you said that the tree was sad, I was very pleasantly surprised because it meant you were starting to understand the emotions of the characters in the books that you read. I may do a lot of things wrong but I know for sure that deciding to read to you everyday has been the best decision in life.  I am writing this letter about books today. I started reading books when I was in high school. I started with Sidney Sheldon and other crime thrillers. It was a good start for me because it kept me hooked. Then when I was in college, I started reading Paulo Coelho and other books that my brother would buy for me. I'd borrow some books from his shelf and read them. It is only after college t...

Letters to my son: Part 1_About Love

Image
 Dear Chora It is such a joy to see how you fond you are of Pumba. We are so glad that we decided to bring Pumba home. You two share a wonderful bond and we hope it continues to grow and two of you become the best of buddies.  I am writing this letter about love today, the kind of love that helps us grow, prosper and that helps us stand up when we tumble and fall. I was reading a book by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie where she'd written about how it is important to love someone and be loved in return. And I hope that's the kind of love you seek for in life. When I say love, I don't necessarily mean a romantic love affair. Well, that's also very important but I am taking about all forms of love that we experience in life. To love someone for me means to find someone who makes us feel safe and valued. We love our friends, we love our pets and our family members and they love us in return. There's nothing like one-sided love. If you like or love someone but that person does...