A Tear and a Hug

A classmate and I were talking the day before the funeral, and both of us had still not come to terms with the fact that we wouldnt be able to talk to Fr. B again. There was so much we wanted to tell him, and i know for a fact that there was loads he wanted to tell us!!

In the beginning of the course we thought he was being a pain because he wasnt in the best of health. It took us only a few weeks to realise that health had nothing to do with it!!! :D
There were times when we felt he took some sort of sadistic pleasure in sucking the joy and dignity out of us in class. But now we know (actually now we accept) that he knew what he was doing. I for one am a much stronger person because of what i went through in his classes.

This course has taught me almost everything i know about counselling today. It has taught me who i am and what i want. It has taught me how i try not to be who i am and deny what i want. It has taught me the most important lesson of all - being honest to myself.

Fr. Berkie helped me deal with my own personal hells over all these months . In all his ramblings in class, there was always a personal lesson for those who wanted it, and knew what to listen to! :)

I once had a long talk with him about things troubling me. Today im glad i did that (even though i was miserable and worried about how he would react). Im glad i got a chance to see a different side of him. A side that listened to me. One that did not judge me. A side that helped me think about and deal with my thoughts. A side that showed humour. Laughed with me. Showed interest in what i had to say about how i felt. A side that hugged me.

Of all his classes, there are two that I think about the most, and everytime i think about them i tear up.

One time is before christmas. I'd brought some brownies and chocolates, and along with a card, the entire class wished him a very merry christmas. He sat down in his chair and smiled. And talked. And was sorry that he wasnt having a celebration and a party like every year because of his health. He was sorry that we werent getting a chance to party!

Then there is one of the last classes he took, during which he told us we were all good students and that he was knew he was always sounding rude and not smiling at us, but we should not feel too bad about it.
I know that this was the closest Fr. Berkie would ever come to say that he cared for us.

Thank you Father Berkie for caring.