Steeming Community Contest| "At My Strongest" | The Energy Of The Lioness Despite Her Youth

Today, I'd like to share another post as part of the "At My Strongest" contest. Thanks to @fabio2614 for the initiative

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When life throws challenges at you, your strength wanes and you become vulnerable. God really wants you to stay in Him during your darkest moments. He allows you to experience weakness in order to draw you closer to Him. Difficulties provided an opportunity for Him to demonstrate his strength. To remind you that it is not about you, but about God, who is sovereign and in charge of everything. When your strength is gone, his strength is perfect to carry you when you can no longer carry on...

Among the four thorns, I am the eldest and only rose. As the oldest child, I had to be strong in the face of our father's death. My world was shattered on March 7, 1987, when my father died while giving a lecture and training farmers on their Lowland Potato Pilot Project, which was supported by their office, in Tarlac. He worked as a scientist in the field of technology transfer. In a coffin, he was delivered to us at home. My godfather, my father's cousin, came to the house before my father's body arrived, and my father's employer invited him to accompany him to our house to inform us of my father's death.

I felt like a bird whose wings had been broken by his untimely demise, as he died of cardiac arrest. The family's finances were ruined, and it was at that moment in my life that I developed into a strong lady (at 23 years of age) who, despite her youth, persevered through all of life's challenges. Until he graduated from college, I assisted my youngest brother (to whom I donated my right kidney). Everything was a test for me, and I had to learn the hard way.

My father has been gone for 35 years to be with our Creator. Our home was never the same after he left for all those years. When we had festivities, the chair where he was typically seated was always empty, and tears welled up in our eyes. I missed those days when the whole family was together, reminiscing about the year's highlights and praying for each other in thanksgiving. I missed those occasions when my father requested me to bake, cook, and prepare his favorite foods and recipes, and he, of course, had his own fair share of the preparation work. The entire appeal of cooking and eating with family is what sets it apart from any other dinner.

I remember my mother didn't leave her room for Noche Buena the first Christmas we didn't have my father to celebrate with. After the Thanksgiving Prayers, my four brothers and I, as well as my daughter, ate the Noche Buena that I had cooked without speaking to one another. We simply ate quietly, then went to our rooms to sleep after cleaning and washing the dishes. That was the loneliest Christmas ever!

Celebrate rather than mourn the loss of a life well-lived. Count how many times your spirits smiled at each other, reached out invisibly yet physically, and touched each other. The end of a chapter is not death. While the transition to this new way of connecting will be painful, it is an inevitable part of life.

I discovered my strength in my flaws. I was leaning outward the entire time, showing my love for my loved ones. I channel the energy of the lioness by allowing the love I poured outward to flow through my own veins. Because God is strength, I am powerful. As a result, I am who I love.

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30% of this post goes to @steemingcuration

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I'm inviting @jb123, @sarimanok, and @olivia08 to partake in this interesting contest.

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About The Author

A feisty artist and a writer at the same time who intertwines and develops her time between blogging, writing poetry and fiction stories, crocheting, gardening, baking, and caring for her physically and mentally challenged son in order to explore the unexpected ideas that pique her interest.