Her elder daughter got married at the age of fifteen and bore eight children , the youngest was adopted by a friend who was incapable of bearing her own children in exchanged of paying for her daughter ’ s tubal ligation so that she could no longer conceive . Her second son was killed in an altercation ten years ago . Her youngest son married in 2002 and had three children but was jailed for homicide seven years ago . Her daughter-in-law , the mother of the three children , lived with them for a while , then left their house and never came back anymore , leaving the three little ones with “ Nana Rose ”. Her granddaughter , the eldest of the three siblings , was eight at the time and is now in her sixth grade year expecting to graduate come next year . The second child , her grandson who was four when his mother abandoned them , should be in grade five now but quit schooling and decided to stay at home to help them earn a living . The youngest child , who was two at the time his mother left , is now in grade two .
Looking back , she confided in me how she had a hard time rearing these poor little angels . Their father was imprisoned and the mother abandoned them . No one could ever help these poor children but Nana Rose and her husband , their grandparents . She couldn ' t help thinking of finding someone who would be capable of giving them a better life they could give ; but as their grandmother , she couldn ' t bare to do that . She had lost her second son and she didn ’ t want to lose her grandchildren too . She is the mother of their father and her love for her grandchildren dominated all her doubts and gave her strength to face the challenges of caring for these young children .
With her clean heart and pure love , she took them in amidst the many uncertainties of life . She never knew how she was going to provide for their needs when she had nothing to spare ; but with her faith in God , she believed they were going to be alright . All she could give was the compassionate love and care they really needed . All she could do was to take the risk . Along with her husband , they had done their best to rear them and mold them to be better as they grow up . With the help of God , she works for a kindhearted and well-off neighbor as a helper . Her husband works in a slaughtering house and as a helper on a farm , too . They may not have enough but at least they have something to share with their grandchildren and that makes them grateful . Her faith in God has strengthened with each passing day . God has showed His goodness to the family . He has provided them their daily needs . Like the beautiful flower rose from which her name was derived , she may have faced the thorny roads of life , but she always finds its beauty . These three little ones gave her reasons to be strong and to live life to the fullest amidst the many mountains they ' re facing . She may not have provided them the toys they wanted , but she has nurtured them in the truest essence of love . A love that is unique to a grandmother and her grandchildren , just the way God loves His children .— O
FAITH HEART MAGAZINE l 41