Francis Mae N.

Manguilimotan Grade 12 – Psi

Kindness

A small act of kindness can really move a person’s heart. Giving spare change for the
needy, donating your clothes, and picking up litter to help the environment are acts of kindness
that you think might not really make a difference but does if you look at the bigger picture. I
don’t really remember if I ever had an impact to someone I helped. I remembered giving clothes
to my less fortunate cousins and giving advice to my sad friends. The person who I looked up to
was my mom. She was a strong woman who loved her family very much. The trait that I never
forgot about her is that even though she does not have enough, she will give all if her siblings or
relatives ask for help. She will do whatever she can. I never really encountered that kind of
compassion and kindness in my life, until I met a certain friend who kind of changes my
perception of things.

Everyone called her Kim, but I called her by her first name. She was a grade above me
and although we were the same age, I knew of her when I started high school in IDS. We didn’t
have friends in common so we weren’t close. I was acquainted with her when I joined the choral
group in my school in 9th grade. Back then, we weren’t really friends. We only hang out with
our choral group people.

Our friendship took a turning point when I was in 10th grade and she started senior high
school. We were both sopranos so we became really close when some of the old members quit
the club. I also got the impression of her being high class but kind. She was super smart. She was
always an honor student so she really excelled in school and extracurricular activities and I
always thought of her as the girl who has it all. She was intelligent, kind, pretty, and very
wealthy. But of course not everything is perfect. We kind of got close when she shared she didn’t
have a dad. I also didn’t have a dad so we really related with one another. She was one of the
sweetest persons I know.

The act of kindness that I’m going to talk about is really sensitive for me. My family is
not rich. My mom is a single mom, who worked her whole life as a teacher. You may think she
had a decent job and she does, but she made some really bad decisions so we were always short
on money. I did what I have to save. Summer before my senior high, three of us from the
sopranos we’re recruited to the choral group in the university. She was one of the three. We were
recruited because they need sopranos and they were going to be a part of a competition in Davao.
I really had fun that summer. I was eager to go to Davao and compete. Fast forward to two
months later my family stumbled upon financial issues. We were supposed to pay a fee for the
competition and we need to pay it immediately. My mom couldn’t. I was kind of devastated
because all that practicing and hard work and I can’t even go? I voiced out my frustrations to my
friend and she really showed me what a true friend she is. I didn’t ask for anything, but she gave
it to me and told me to pay for it anytime I had the funds. At first I was dumbstruck, I never
really expected any of it and I also never experienced that act of kindness. I was also very
grateful and felt moved about her compassion and care to me. I paid her back after a few months
and today, we are still good friends.