“IN EVERYTHING, love.”

Though only three words, that quote has stuck with me through the good, the bad, and everything in between. However, with all the ups and downs that life throws at us, when can we truly say that we have chosen love?

Is love seen in the way my mother and I shared breakfast this morning, or how my father taught me to ride a bike? Is it in the way my Mamita and Nona teach me how to cook their favorite meals on Saturdays or how my younger brother sends me videos that remind him of our dynamic? Is love in the weekly updates my high school friends and I send, or the smiles and waves exchanged with my college friends when we pass each other in the halls?

I would say that love is all these and more.

Love is seen in the way my parents welcome me home with a smile everyday without fail, in the way my grandmothers excitedly take my brother and I into their arms as soon as we arrive at their homes, and in the stories and laughs shared with my friends over lunch or sometimes even until the next morning.

And now, everything that love is is housed within me.

Whenever I remember that, I am inspired to look back at the scrapbooks and journals that I have kept for the past 20 years. Letters and stories from family and friends, photographs and maps from our travels, and stickers and tags from school fairs or birthday gifts—all these are souvenirs from the mosaic of my life. I am so lucky to have learned all the things I know about love from those on the pages I hold onto so tightly.

It was through the toughest days—when this memory-keeping endeavor seemed to bring nothing but the stings of sentimentality—that taught me how pushing forward despite the challenges was my own way of choosing love and defining what it means to me. By putting kindness and passion in everything I do, embracing nostalgia and putting forgiveness and understanding forward, and continuing to show up for the things that I believe in, I know that love can still emerge in spite of any hardship.

Whether we like it or not, this hardship can also lead to the day where we have to let go of the ones we once loved. When that time comes, at least I know that love was there—it existed and will continue to exist even as I move forward.

At the end of the day, I know that I would not be who I am without the memories, experiences, and people that have found their home in my heart. To each and every one of them, I hope they know how thankful I am that they have become such important pieces of my life. Whether they have gone to pursue other things in life or even already found their way home, I hope that this message still reaches them, and inspires everyone else I hold dear to continue living a life filled with love at the center of everything.

And, to you reading this, I hope you, too, find your own way of choosing love with every step you take towards everything life has to offer.

Rocio is an Interdisciplinary Studies student, pursuing tracks in Psychology and Political Science. Set to graduate from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2027, she aspires to make meaningful impacts in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences through her leadership and project management skills.

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed by the opinion writer do not necessarily state or reflect those of the publication.