i-Storya: Frontliner for Frontliners: On Letting our Faith rise Higher than our Fears

(by Leilane Pacurib-Pastias of DepEd Bacolod City)

The COVID-19 pandemic brought tears, fears, anxiety, and worries to everyone. I also feared especially for my family all of whom are exposed to risks as they report for work daily. But with my faith in God, and with the awareness that my family needs me, I began to set my priorities in place, and caught up with my responsibilities.

As a public school teacher for 29 years, this pandemic caught me off-guard just like everyone else. The school year 2019-2020 did not properly end and there were school tasks that needed to be done at home. All pending DepEd forms had to be accomplished and submitted on time.

My husband on the otherhand is a Nurse. As a frontliner’s wife, I took it upon myself to look after his well-being, and to see to it that all his needs are addressed. I have to take care of him so he stays well and healthy in order to take care of those who need his services.

My eldest son is an engineer and goes to work too. Despite the ECQ, he was still required to work else he loses his job. My other son is a call center agent who also reports to work everyday while my only daughter is a Team Supervisor for PSA. So despite the border restrictions and the community quarantine, my entire family are at the frontlines responding to their call of duty.

As a wife and mother, I became the frontliner for my frontliners. Every single day as the cases of those infected in Bacolod mounted, I only prayed for more strength and protection from Above.

In all these, what sustains me is the knowledge that God will take care of us not only because we want to be spared from this malady but because each of my frontliner family believes that we have a significant role to play in the world.

Recognizing that it is not only my family who needs me, I sought my co-teachers’ contributions for a relief operations for the barangays surrounding our school. Many surprisingly responded to our call that we were able to gather and distribute 10 sacks of rice each for ten barangays!

I believe that prayers enable us to rise above the battles of life and allow us to partake of God’s resources. So when I initiated a prayer brigade via our group chat with my co-teachers, they readily joined. It has now become our practice to pray together through our group chat at 9 o’clock in the evening every night. We may not see each other and be together physically, but our prayers unite us entirely.

For some, my life’s story may not be extraordinary, but my struggles and triumphs are meaningful to me, to my family, and to my community. Afterall, “fulfillment doesn’t merely mean achieving your highest dreams in life, but also living a life that has made the lives of others worth living.”