'The kindness of Christmas'

We will help you." I grabbed the opportunity and enrolled at St. Vincent," she said. Now, Jenny is back to school, on remission, and on a mission.

- BUM D. TENORIO, JR.

The most precious gifts are those impossible to wrap. How do you put a ribbon around kindness, love, faith and grit? The lights of the season are no match to the wattage of the power of the human spirit.

Teaching is a gift so invaluable it cannot be wrapped. Every teaching hour at St. Vincent's College of Cabuyao (SVCC) inspires me because I also learn from my students. Some learnings are indelible; they leave an imprint in my heart.

No gift wrapper can drape the joy of Jenny Delit, 42, a cancer survivor who goes to school with financial support from her daughter, 24, and her (Jenny's) partner.

Jenny aced two Wednesdays ago her 18th round of chemotherapy. Things look rosy for her as her doctor told her she is now on remission.

A myriad of Christmas lights cannot outshine the joy Arvin Magbayao feels now that he knows he is a candidate for college graduation. He is a student in the morning, a motorcycle delivery boy at night.

Jenny is my current student in Art Appreciation. Arvin was my student in Philippine Pop Culture last year. Like many students in school, both are survivors of life. Their stories are Christmas tales, if only for the hope and warmth they create. From their lives, a masterclass in living, the teacher in me becomes a student.

Jenny the fighter

She came to my Art Appreciation class 20 minutes late last Monday. Her jet-black, pixie-cut hair defined the kindness of her face. Her dark green uniform was made lighter by the 8 a.m. sun behind her back and the nippy Christmas breeze around her. She stood by the classroom door—apologetic that she was disturbing my class but hopeful that she would be allowed entry. She was not only late; she was also absent on the first meeting of class two weeks ago because she was a late enrollee.

"I'm Jenny Delit, Sir. An irregular first-year-second-year student. BS Business Administration," she said, still standing by the door.