All literary articles and poetry contained herein are written by staff, patients and trainees of MPF-RBR Pasig and Cebu. Some names have been changed or omitted to maintain confidentiality.
CHRISTMAS IN RBR
by R. Cruz
Initially I thought that spending Christmas Eve away from my family and inside a treatment center would be the worst thing that could ever happen to me. Just the mere idea of it got me more and more depressed as the date drew nearer. I was dreading it, with the certainty that it was going to be a sad and miserable occasion.
But once again, just like my stay in RBR has taught me, life is full, of surprises and unexpected blessings. First on the list is, of course the abundance of food. It was literally a feast. Then there were the gifts from our families. I could see the eyes of my co-trainees light up and their grim faces turn into big smiles.
However, the light in our eyes and the laughter that filled the dining area had something to do with the warmth inside us, rather than material things. It was something intangible. Magical. It was a feeling of overflowing joy and a sense of belonging caused' by the realization that even if we are away from our biological families, we now belonged to a new and different kind of family: a family that stands by each other in our similar struggles towards sobriety.
Because of how I spent Christmas Eve in RBR, I reahze now, that life is indeed full of blessings and wonderful surprises.
