* Best things in life are priceless! *

Attaining happiness out of simple things is just one of the countless traits of Filipinos that people from different parts of the world admire. We strongly believe that best things in life don’t really require money for us to have. For us, just being with our family gives us joy and enough reason to wake up for the next day with smile on our faces. Just a smile could make someone’s day perfect. A short phone call can possibly mean everything to a person. To be exact, for most Filipinos; small things mean the most.

The story My Father goes to Court showed the typical kind of a Filipino family that are satisfied with what they have. They never envied their neighbor although they know that the family living there is very wealthy. For them, happiness doesn’t depend on too much money. They have their own ways for them to be glad and they find it in simple things that don’t cost even a single centavo. This story tells us about the most precious treasure that people can have. It certainly is not money neither power, it is love and care. You cannot buy love anywhere and at any cost, this treasure is exceptional and you would never find anything that would cost more than love.

Meanwhile, the story How my Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife is also about close family ties. This was shown when Leon finally introduced her wife to his family, his mother didn’t help it but cry probably because they are thinking that Leon’s time would be only after his wife and that he won’t be able to make his family feel loved, but later on another Filipino trait which was being loving and understanding was shown when Leon and Maria talked to the father, it was not directly stated that the conversation went well but there’s no sign that it went bad and it’s natural for Filipinos to support the one they love even if it hurts at the start but then sooner or later they can easily take the truth with smiles on their faces knowing that this is what exactly their loved ones want.

~ This clip is about a study that was conducted by some American students which focused on common Filipino traits. ~

Personally, I can say that I’m loving all those Filipino traits. I won’t go too far for an example. I can really feel how much my family treasures one another, we always want the best for each other. My parents and I sometimes argue about things but we don’t let the day pass without resolving the matter. My parents understands everything about me, even it’s about matters of the heart, they are always there to listen but they never forced me to, once I’m ready to tell then my problems they are all ears on me without hesitation. I won’t say that I never made anything that made my parents somehow depressed or sad, the thing is even thought I made so much mistakes that I regret, they always have a room for forgiveness, they let me change for the good. Also, we find happiness in simple things, we are not very fond of gadgets or things that money can buy, and just being together is more than enough for us. Sometimes, problems come but it’s not going to make us hate God, instead we believe that God just want to develop the bond between me and family, another is God won’t give us something that we can’t get through with and whatever difficulty he gives us will just make us strong in the end. I’m very gratifies that along with my imperfections is a family that never grow tired of loving me and this love is something that money can’t buy.