PRACTICE PATIENCE DAILY

Dear Reader,

How are you doing? I hope your days have been lovely and fruitful.

Recently, I've been starting to tutor my 3 little sisters and my cousin with regards to their academic work. And since it's still the start of the school year for them, their homeworks are not that many yet, so what we normally do during our time now together is to read. 

From left to right: Zaira, Nice, and Zellyn. 

Now, I love reading, and it has been my escape from reality ever since I fell in love with it, and I want my little sisters to know the wonders of reading and love it just like I do. Luckily, Zellyn and Nice (7 and 6 years old respectively) can already read, so what I let them do is that to read on their own, and then later on I would ask them some questions about what they just read to check their comprehension. 

The biggest challenge for me so far, is teaching the youngest of the 3, Zaira (4 years old). She still can't read, so I've been really focusing on her a lot lately on how to properly read words. I didn't know teaching Phonics to a kid was a lot of hard work.

Teaching little Zaira really requires me to stretch my patience. There was a night when I really lost it and I scolded her when she wasn't able to read the word "SIM" properly. I was so ashamed inside when I saw how little Zaira looked at me after I repeatedly raised my voice out of frustration. She just looked at me and still tried to sound the letters for her to read. 

I felt like I was such a bad sister, that I was taking things too seriously, and the look in her eyes reminded me that I should value my relationship with her as an older sister and guardian rather than making her read the words perfectly. I prayed a silent prayer of patience and courage, and then I lowered my voice and spoke to her again in a soft tone this time. Finally, after I helped her, she was able to read the word correctly.

Zaira's word of the night: SIM! :)

After our lesson for that night, I apologized for raising my voice at her and getting mad and told her that I did not mean it. I asked her if she was angry at me for scolding her, she just smiled and told me she was not. Aweee, the sweetness of kids. I was particularly touched by what she said after our lesson while I was fixing her hair before I sent her off upstairs to bed. 

Me: Zai, when you're older, you'll still love Ate(older sister) ha? 

Zaira: Yes, ate. I will. :) 

Me: (Then I realized about our age gap) Oh my, Ate is 18 years older than you, when you'll be as old as I am now, Ate will be old by then. 

Zaira: Don't worry, Ate. I'll take care of you by then. I'll be the one to give you water too. 

My lesson for that night; "Be as patient with others as God has been with you." 

My loving and pure sister still loved me and cared for me despite me being bossy towards her. 

And God's patience for us is the same. Even when we are not always obedient, He still cares about us and loves us unconditionally. I know I have a lot to improve on, and I shall pray that as time goes by, I shall have patience like His. May we all strive to be patient with one another just like how God has been patient to us in our lives.

Zaira and our little Maelle. <3 

I shall leave you a short verse from Proverbs 19:11 and it says "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it his to his glory to overlook an offense."

Yours Eternally,
Chiqui