Mari Felices

Having a friend in your life who is always there, even when situations change, is truly a great treasure. Sometimes we meet people who don’t stay long, yet it is a blessing when someone remains cheering you up when you’re feeling blue, picking you up when trials make you stumble, making you smile when sadness weighs heavy.   A best friend is someone who gives hope and encouragement when you don’t know what to do. Someone who accompanies you, listens to your unending stories, laughs at your silly jokes, and becomes the shoulder you can lean on. With them by your side, every trial and problem feels lighter, almost forgotten.   That’s what the best friend can do. You can love your best friend even more than lovers do. And to those who have a best friend  whether far or near they are the ones who touch our hearts and always hold a space within it.   Friendship, like a tree, grows from the smallest seed into something vast and enduring. It is nurtured by h...

Growing Beyond Borders: My Journey as an OFW I didn’t plan to become an Overseas Filipino Worker. I didn’t imagine I’d be far from my children, working in a foreign country, carrying homesickness like a second skin. But life doesn’t always follow the path we expect. I graduated from Palawan State University with a degree in Bachelor of Entrepreneurship. I worked at the Provincial Capitol, then moved to Manila for a more challenging role as a Company Secretary. That’s where I met my husband, and together we built a life and raised three beautiful children. But love alone doesn’t pay the bills. And dreams don’t grow without sacrifice. So I made the hardest decision of my life—I left. I went to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. I wanted my children to have more than I had. I wanted to give them choices, even if it meant giving up mine. There were nights I cried quietly, missing birthdays, missing hugs, missing the ordinary moments that ...

Sometimes life gives us these moments—not to test us, but to show us how much we’ve grown. Seeing him again didn’t break me. It didn’t shake me. It reminded me that healing isn’t loud. It’s quiet. It’s walking away with grace. It’s choosing yourself, again and again. I saw my ex along the street,   Hoped our eyes would never meet.   Causeway Bay was loud and bright,   But my heart sank out of sight.   I looked away, kept walking fast,   Trying to leave behind the past.   But then I heard a voice so clear “Hello, Mari. How are you, dear?”   I turned around, my heart a race,   He wore that same familiar face.   A smile with mischief in his eyes,   The kind that once had felt like skies. He was the manager, sharp and proud,   I was his secretary, hates in the crowd.   Coffee breaks and stolen glances,   Late-night talks and risky chances.  ...