I have been a member since 1983. Toastmasters helped me become the person I am today. I will forever be a Toastmaster. And yet only a few people know who introduced me to the organization. It was actually a relative who invited me to Toastmasters, my Auntie Nita. And I have her to thank for because she had the wisdom to see that I was right for the organization.
In my younger days, my Auntie Nita was someone you reckoned with. I was scared of her because she had a booming voice, a very strong character and you simply did not mess around with her. She was determined, headstrong and steely. You really did not want to mess with her and I was simply afraid of her.
When I was in grade school we used to live in Toril and I went to Ateneo.
Because of the distance my parents decided that I stay with my aunt who used to live along Crooked Road. I was so young then that I had no choice.
I stayed with my Auntie Nita. There were many things that I did not like about staying with her. First her house was way on top of the building that she owned. And I had to climb a rather long staircase just to get to the top. The second thing that I did not like was the darkness. When my Auntie Nita slept she turned off all the lights and I was left peering into the dark. Plus of course the reality of sleeping away from home was just too much for a young boy like me. I cannot remember how long I stayed but one day I told my parents that I wanted to go home.
As I grew older I lost contact with her but she was somehow there. Until one day she comes to me and asks me to join Toastmasters. I did and I have been hooked ever since.
After a few years my Auntie Nita left for the States and I lost contact with her. And then a Toastmasters event fittingly brought us together. I went to the States to compete and guess who was my host. The very same person who introduced me to Toastmasters.
I remember telling her that without her I would not be able to represent my country in an international speech contest.
Again years went by and I lost contact with her. And somehow through those years a change occurred, a wonderful change that really made me believe that indeed change would happen when the time is right. One does not force change; it comes from a choice, a decision to be better.
And that was what I saw in my Auntie Nita. And when I had the chance to finally speak to her it came at a most divine time because I knew that it was the hand of God that did that.
One night, in the middle of the night, the phone rings and it turns out to be my Auntie Nita. She called me to ask how I was, knowing fully well she knew how it was. But to her credit she never mentioned anything. She just encouraged me, asked me to look beyond, and to believe that there is God who knows what is going on. She told me that God never forgets and that you just have to trust Him.
She told me to just hang on. I simply listened to her. We talked for about thirty minutes, rather she talked because I just listened.
Ever since that time she has kept an eye on me, asking her daughter and my cousin about me. In a span of two years she has given me two books for my birthdays a DVD of the Passion of Christ and a double CD of standard songs. She has also given me hope. She has made me stronger.
Last January Chona and I had breakfast with her. She is 90 years old but she does not look 90. She has a spring on her feet, an impish grin, a confident expression. She seemed to say that all is well. In fact she told me to just surrender to the Lord my life. That God knows. I believe her. I see the change that has happened in her life and one cannot fake sincerity. It is there or it is not.
My Auntie Nita was one person among many who helped me go through what I had to go through. Yet she never judged me, was never condescending or opinionated. As far as I was concerned she had come full circle. I will always cherish her midnight calls (she calls me sometimes), her books, her words of encouragement and hope, her expression when she reaches out to me and touches my hand saying, "hayaan mo na anak, the Lord knows." I am grateful that I have my Auntie Nita.
My Auntie Nita did not only make me a better speaker in Toastmasters. She made me a better person through her light.
