A GRACIOUS AND CHARITABLE MAIDEN

by: Norberto Betita

It is of no coincidence that her name has its origin from the Latin term “virgo” which meant “maiden”---single girl or woman. Perhaps it’s just that she has chosen to remain single in favor of a more important humanitarian priority.

SNNHS ‘69er VIRGINIA PERALTA was known as the fair complexioned good natured young woman. She was made peculiar by the fact that while she has a whiter skin texture, she sports a very kinky hair which is very common to the natives. Yet she looks refined and beautiful with her hair braided or bound. Her pleasantness and affability gained for her more friends and respect from young men. Her joviality and sociability made her always popular in a crowd. These attributes are distinctive in her person even after high school. Her high school outlooks and views gave the impression of an early inclination for some humanitarian interests, especially for her extended family who are in distress.

Her enrolment at the Philippine Women’s University (PWU), an exclusive school for women, in Manila never meant that she is trying herself to distance from men. In fact, early in college she was attracted to a former classmate and a very close friend. When this young man paid her a friendly visit during one summer vacation, she personally confessed that she is attracted to a young man. She was asked to reveal the name, but she wouldn’t. After some real convincing effort, she agreed to just write the name on a small piece of paper with the instruction that he would open the note back home. Arriving home, the young man forgot about the note, until he realized that there was something on his shirt pocket. The note reads, “If you know yourself you know him.” The young man was somewhat touched by the sincerity of the admission, yet he felt very concern about her previous declarations and commitment of doing good in her studies to be able to help her struggling family. He did not want to take advantage, neither to have her most noble plans and visions for her family be affected. He started to keep distance and just forgot about the note.

For long and perhaps due to dedication in her studies, she seldom visited Surigao City. It was never known how that sincere admission on a note affected her, especially after the young man temporarily detached himself from a very close friendship. Yet her eventual graduation from college proved that she had remained strong and very determined in her conviction to succeed for the benefit of her family. She might have experienced some frustrations and little despondency most common to all but she never allowed life’s vexations to frustrate her journey. Her cheerful persona and jubilant disposition continued to provide radiance to the woman in her.

Graduating from an exclusive school, the PWU, which was very popular during the time, was an advantage for her as she plodded the competitive field of career women. She easily obtained a position at the Regional Trial Court of Manila. As she started to pluck the fruits of her earnest labor, she also began the condescending act of charity---the pure love of Christ. She willingly extended her charitable hands to fill the empty tables and drained purses of loved ones. She diligently followed her most noble high school dream by sending some of her nephews and nieces through college to the limits of what her financial bucket could accommodate. By such gracious and charitable manifestations of love, she was continually blessed. Enjoying the loving and gratifying embraces from the beneficiaries of her generosity and benevolence she seemed to somehow forget her personal obligation for herself. Her selfless service shaped and fashioned a wonderful panorama all along her path which in effect obscured the view of a possible joyful family life for herself.

Time flies and the emptiness of living a single life roams in frequency into the vacant chamber of her heart. Motivated by the kind of work she had been exposed to and trying to supplement the vacuums of her love life, she tried to enroll in a law school. Then she realized that all along in her maturity that would no longer be needed. She was overwhelmingly filled with the satisfaction that comes from the Lord’s promise: “In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these…ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:40).” Perhaps she consoled herself with the words from Emily H. Woodmansee’s hymn:

The errand of angels is given to women;
And this is a gift that, as sisters, we claim:
To do whatsoever is gentle and human,
To cheer and to bless in humanity’s name.

Indeed, she remained that gracious and charitable maiden, but this has nothing to do with the meaning of her most popular name Virginia. She probably believed and adopted the philosophy: “When fretted by this single life, which seems to be my lot, I think of all the many men whose wife I’m glad I’m not.” (Quoted by James E. Faust). She still sports a bound kinky hair which even with a few lines of wrinkles makes her cute round face more refined and beautiful.

For her and all other “maidens” is given a glorious promise: “You young women advancing in years who have not yet accepted a proposal of marriage, if you make yourselves worthy and ready…and have faith in this sacred principle of … marriage…, even though the privilege of marriage does not come to you now in mortality, the Lord will reward you in due time and no blessing will be denied you.” (Harold B. Lee said Ye Are the Light of the World [1974], 308).

On occasions she served sumptuous treats for friends and batch mates in acts of amity and goodwill during our reunions. We will be missing her for she was short of the opportunity to attend our SNNHS ‘69ers Golden Jubilee grand reunion because on this day, October 31, 2017, the heavy portals of death was gaped open for her to enter into the eternal realms. Yet our memories of her will ever remain.