Best friends



The BFFs: Donnie Bernadine and Bernadine Erika

 A week ago, during the foundation concert at the shool of my son, Regie, I noticed that my daughter, Nadine, suddenly looked so sad when a girl performer sang one of Adele’s songs after her kuya’s (big brother) song & dance number. As any mother would do, I hugged her and asked what made her feel upset. Was it because her kuya's number was over, it just began? Or isn't she happy on how the girl rendered Adele’s song which is her and her best friend’s favorite? With teary eyes, she said that she suddenly thought of her best friend, Bern (Bernadine, yep, same name as hers), and they were not in good term for two days then. Bern already had a new good buddy and she missed her a lot. To comfort her, without asking what the root was, I told her that everything will be alright and it’s not easy to just forget their friendship. She’s got lots of good friends, and why not have fun with them to make her feel better. And her tears began to fall saying that Bern is the best among them, and she loves her the most. It’s a very heart breaking moment for a mother to see her child crying and knowing how deep her emotion is.



After Regie's concert. Notice Nadine's teary eyes.

Even her Kuya Regie was so concerned and gave her advice, it's just one of growing up kids' awkward moments, and everything will be fine. I wanted to talk to Bern and help them settle their differences, but I well remembered that I experienced the same situation when I was in high school. By ourselves, my best friend (Amy) and I managed to settle the gap between us and made our friendship stronger. So I shared to her our story, ensured that they will still be best friends no matter what and their routine will be back to normal: hang out in Bern’s house for a while to have their snack after class, talk in the phone for almost an hour after they finish their homework, endless story sharing as if they haven’t seen each other for years, singing their favorite songs while having their video call in the internet (hmmm, video call, Bern lives just few blocks away from us), comfort and complement each other, and so much moments envied by their classmates, friends and teache

Few days after, on my way back home, my daughter sent me a message saying how happy she is, she is in good terms again with Bern. When I got home, I asked her to share how they mended their gap. It was as simple as saying “hi” to her best friend when she saw a collage of their pictures that Bern made in her mom’s tab. And Bern also said “hi” and asked Nadine to get closer and embraced Nadine tightly. It’s so sweet, so refreshing; a feels good moment to know how they easily forget their differences and start all over again. Now they are closer than before and nothing can ever break their bond.


Imagine how life looks simple to these two young ladies. No prides to keep, no pretences, no hiding of emotions, no egos to protect, no insecurities. They never wasted time, patched things instantly, and never waited for their gaps to get wider. Imagine if life for each one of us would also be that simple:

- There would probably no significant clash among relatives (think of how members of the family compete against each other for a political position).

- There would definitely be no pulling down but helping up (think of how a close friend creates gossip out of insecurities to devastate a friend’s reputation).

- There would be no greediness (think of how a brother take the life of the other just to become a sole recipient of bequest)

- Problems would be so simple, easy to settle, and world would definitely be a better place to live.

To Nadine and Bern, your story inspired me to always go back to basic, and to strongly keep all the values I gained since childhood. You’re not only best friends, you’re sisters, and don’t let anyone take that away from you. I’m sure you will experience a lot of different situations as you grow up. But leave the bad ones behind; keep what you have learned from them to be stronger. Take the good ones along; let them nourish your hearts to be more righteous and considerate to others. Bernadette (Bern's mom, yep, same as mine) and I always love to see you happy together and keep your inspiring friendship forever.