By Joe Larano Jr.
For Reuben, coming to Canada was not simply a matter of getting on a plane and starting a new life. It was a story measured in years of waiting. At 57, he now drives for an import and export food products company in Richmond. His journey to Canada began much earlier, when his wife left for the Okanagan to work as a caregiver. She came with a simple hope shared by many Filipino migrants: work hard, build a future, and eventually bring the family together. The years passed. She obtained her Permanent Resident status, then became a Canadian citizen. She sponsor Reuben and their two daughters. For Reuben, the long wait finally ended. But another journey was about to begin.
Like many newcomers, Reuben discovered that arriving in Canada did not automatically mean finding the job he had trained for. He was a mechanical engineer, but Canadian life had its own way of testing credentials, experience and patience. The job he once held in his mind did not come knocking at the door. Instead, there were survival jobs, unfamiliar routines and the quiet realization that starting over sometimes means starting from somewhere you never expected. There was no shame in it. There was a family to support, bills to pay and a future to build. He learned to do what many Filipino newcomers have done before him: swallow pride when necessary, work with dignity, and keep moving. In the Philippines, we often say, “Kahit anong trabaho, basta marangal.” Any honest work is worthy of respect.
Perhaps the greatest twist in Reuben’s story is that the long-awaited reunion did not immediately produce the life they had imagined. The family had already spent years apart. Their daughters were growing up, adapting to their own circumstances, and Canada was no longer simply a destination. It was becoming home. Today, those daughters are adults, working and building lives of their own. Reuben, meanwhile, has found his place behind the wheel. His work may be far removed from mechanical engineering, but he has come to understand that a profession does not define the value of a person. Sometimes, life gives us a different road from the one we planned. What matters is how we travel that road, whom we meet along the way, and what we learn from it.
What stands out in Reuben’s story, however, is not what he lost or what he was unable to achieve. It is what he chooses to remember. He remembers the friends who helped when the family was struggling to find their footing. He remembers people who opened doors, offered advice, shared information, gave a ride, helped with a job opportunity or simply listened when things became difficult. These may appear to be small acts to the giver, but to a newcomer, they can become lifelines. Filipinos have a beautiful expression for this: “Hindi namin makakalimutan ang tulong ninyo.” We may not always be able to repay every kindness, but we carry the memory of it. And when the opportunity comes, we pass that kindness forward.
Reuben’s family is also thankful for the community and the Canadian institutions that provide assistance to families when they need it. They learned that asking for help during difficult times is not necessarily a sign of failure. Sometimes, it is simply part of belonging to a society that recognizes that everyone goes through seasons of need. There were services, programs and people who helped them navigate unfamiliar territory. Looking back, Reuben does not see these things as entitlements to be taken for granted. He sees them as blessings received along the way. The Filipino instinct to say “Salamat”, “Maraming salamat”, and “Malaking tulong ito sa amin” becomes more meaningful when one realizes how much a simple act of kindness can change a family’s journey.
This Thanksgiving, Reuben’s story reminds us that gratitude is not only about counting what we have. It is also about remembering how we got here. A family that once waited years to be reunited now sees their daughters standing independently, a husband who once searched for any honest work now providing for his family, and a life that may not have followed the original plan but has turned out to be rich in its own way. For Filipinos living in this part of the world, where opportunities and a good standard of living are blessings that many of us deeply appreciate, gratitude should never stop with receiving. “Salamat sa tulong. Salamat sa pagkakataon. Salamat sa kabutihan.” And perhaps, above all, Reuben’s journey teaches us that a grateful heart does not forget the people, the community, the country and the Creator behind the blessings. The best way to say thank you is to live a life worthy of the blessings we have received, and to become a blessing to someone else.
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