Celebrating Ineng

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In the basement of our old house in San Pablo City, one can find the small business of Ineng and her husband, Romy. Cramped in the small space were rows and rows of small glass bottles and carton boxes filled with “Parecetamol”, “Ascorbic Acid” and “Amoxicillin”. Then on the opposite corner, one can’t help but notice a rather very busy whiteboard filled with customer contact numbers, order details, bills to be paid and Ineng’s constant scribbles of Bible verses. The length and size of the quoted scriptures depend on how much available space had been left by the usual hustles and bustles of life. There were times when business was good–the entire board was occupied with medicine names and in one tiny corner, a scripture squeezed in, barely readable. There were also times when money was tight and the entire board was just filled with a verse and nothing else.

As a child, I did not had any appreciation of what was a good day or a bad day just by looking at that whiteboard, but now I guess I know. That despite the uncertainties and storms of life, the faith of a woman had allowed our family to keep on keeping on and we would continue to stay strong for her and for all the people that God has placed in our midst.

And if that whiteboard is still there, I’ll clean it well then write her name: perhaps in huge letters and almost reckless…like a little child would.