A HERO AND A SAINT

In His name, I bear witness and acknowledge my faith!

True heroes are indeed rare, and such was the uniqueness of Edith Stein, who went to her death in Auschwitz wearing the Star of David on her nun's habit, after offering herself as a sacrifice in an effort to save others. She was born into a German Jewish family; became assistant to the philosopher Edmund Husserl, converted to Catholicism and took her vows as a Carmelite nun 12 years later. When the Nazis rounded up Jews for extermination, Edith Stein proudly identified herself as Christian and Jewish, and in 1942, was gassed. Twenty years after her death, the Vatican began the formal canonization procedure the St. Teresia Benedicta a Cruce, the name she took--which make her the first Jewish Catholic saint of our time.

FOR THE LOVE OF SACRIFICE

“…. if you have much, give of your wealth;
if you have little, give of your heart …”
(Arabian proverb)

Love and genuine sacrifices helped us get to this point in our lives!

There are so many precious memories I recall about my loving parents working constantly to support a big family. My father was a secondary school teacher, and my mother was a wonderful seamstress. I remember the many times our neighbors would come to our house and ask her to design and make clothes for them. She would continue working until the wee hours of the morning to finish and deliver a fine job. She did this to support my father’s meager income, and to make both ends meet; she would cut expenses wherever she could. I remember the constant prodding of my father to always perform well in school, aim high and hit the mark, strive for excellence. He always reminded us to avoid risky behavior to ensure success in our studies.

My parents worked so hard because supporting and providing for a family of ten was most important to them. They worked as hard without complaints but with pure joy, and sacrificed so many things to ensure that we could realize our goals and dreams and live a life better than them. My siblings and I considered ourselves lucky and privileged, but this has come at the tremendous cost of our parents sacrificing their own interests for our future.

The elements of sacrifices were always there; hard work, diligence, discipline, and determination. They taught us the hard ways of not giving up on things easily, especially during painful times, when problems were so deep, how to identify, recognize, and address them. They kept on identifying the best approaches to achieve their visions for us. They focused on the best solutions to the root cause of problems; thus, providing lasting changes.

No matter how much or how little we have, the material possessions and opportunities we now enjoy are a direct result of our parents’ love and sacrifices

This is in loving memory of my dear parents!