A dark night. A wooden table. A small candle. A tear.
My emotion won over my innocence as we gathered around a wooden table. Darkness filled the whole room. The silence was deafening. As time passed by, silence pained and slaughtered me each and every second.
The pain of seeing my father and my mother separating after so many years of what seemed like an everlasting love was intolerable. I watched the candle’s fire dance rhythmically and modestly with the unseen cold wind. I saw the glimmering eyes of my sister. It was not caused by the candlelight; it was because of her bitter tears.
“Please, Mom… Dad, don’t leave us,” she begged while gripping into my mother’s arms.
“We can’t stay together. It is my fault. I have to pay for this,” sobbing, my mother answered. My sister turned to my father but he did not answer.
What could a little child do? Nothing. I could not do anything. I excused myself from the painful gathering and as I explored the place which I considered home, my feet led me to my mother’s room. Inside it, I saw a crucifix and an altar lit with scented candles. then I said to Him, “If I cannot bring back the happiness I used to have before, You can take my life away.” For that very moment, Happiness was all in oblivion.
Then suddenly, something changed. There was finally warmth that touched my hollow heart. I then realized the essence and magic of prayer.
Prayer is like a dark night. You cry, you stumble and you fall but still there is a new tomorrow that brings new hope.
Prayer is like a wooden table. If you keep on believing, you will realize that you, as a human being, can face and overcome any life’s storm.
Prayer is like a small candle. It may be gone for a while but if you strive to find the light that you search in your life, time will come when you will be enlightened.
Prayer is like a tear. It falls but it never runs out.
Prayer is a candlelit evening. You may think that prayers are left unanswered, but soon you will get to understand that the more you dig, the more you find the enlightenment.
Darkness is just temporary. Prayer can overcome it. I may have failed to reconcile my parents but I am sure that God has beautiful plans for me. He might have made my life like a candlelit evening but I do not get mad. No matter what, I still fervently believe that through my prayer, my life will end up standing and burning – ready to forget the absurdity and melancholy that yesterday gave me.
This feature write-up was written by Chazzel Soriano who won first place in the Feature Writing Category of the Third Division Training Program in Campus Journalism for Private Schools on September 27, 2007.
