March 15th, 2021: Learning from Trying Time


It was this time last year that everything changed. I was in Montreal with my dad. He was very sick, and most of us came to be with him. All of my brothers, who are not from Canada, had to leave because things were shutting down. They needed to get home before the borders were closed to travelers.


I got back to the hotel to discover that everything also shut down. The lobby and the restaurant were closed. There was no more room service. I decided to go outside to get some food. There were not too many options. It was an eerie feeling to walk right downtown Montreal about 7 pm, and not too many people were around.


Since then, we have experienced many heartaches that many Canadians had to go through by being unable to care for their elderly parents. The horrid stories we heard about nursing homes in Montreal were hitting home when we learned that people in the same facility with my dad started getting Covid-19 and dying. Covid-19 was not a conspiracy anymore. My dad got it and recovered. Some of my extended family members got it. Some were sicker than others. Worst of all, not too many of us could attend his funeral last Nov due to Covid-19 restrictions in Montreal. What have I learned that last year by going through all of that?


A) Being there is the best gift we can offer to people we love.

B) Knowing and understanding are two different things. One is knowledge, and the other is learning how to integrate that very knowledge into our everyday life experience.

C) Having answers is good but not as essential as having the willingness to suffer while waiting for them.

D) It is easy to blame others for what we cannot have. It is harder to love others with all that we have.

E) Life is not fair, and that is not a myth. The fallacy of life is to expect that it is.

F) Contentment is an outcome of a peaceful heart and a restful mind.


Let us keep moving forward while knowing that we can only do so confidently with God.


James 1: 12

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

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