My uncle, who is a priest, named me this gifted name. My name 𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑳 is a “theophoric” name. What is a theophoric name, if you may ask? These are names that have something to do with or are related to God. This is evidenced by the structure of the name with the suffix “EL” at the end. Theophoric names end with “EL” which means God. These are usually the names of creatures that have a connection with God. Take, for example, the angels, they have theophoric names such as MichaEL, RaphaEL, MuriEL, AmenadiEL.

Hence, 𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑳 has two parts: the first part is SONRI and the second part is EL. Together they form the entire name 𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑳.

SONRI + EL = 𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑳.

𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑳 literally means smiling God or God smiles. Sonrie is a Spanish derivative of the verb "sonreir", meaning to smile. Hence, Sonriel as a whole name means God smiles or smiling God.

Given a gifted and blessed name, I was grateful for it. On most occasions, I try to smile brightly, just like what my uncle advises me. My uncle said that I should smile brightly and be positive most of the time, so when people see me, they see a God smiling through me.

Throughout my years, we have had a lot of dogs and cats to take care of. Some of them have already passed away due to sickness and age. We currently have 5 dogs and 3 cats in our house. It is a great responsibility for my siblings and me to take care of all of them. Usually, we take turns in feeding, bathing, and grooming our pets. Without these pets, I couldn’t imagine my life full of joy because whenever I am stressed, these pets are always there to play and relieve my mental fatigue.

If I were to describe my family in the media, I would say my family is like the Loud Family from the cartoon series The Loud House. Despite the troubles, conflicts, and hardships our family encounters, at the end of the day, we always resolve them by being there for each other. 

I am still doing well with my academics, but not really. I still struggle with a lot of things in my life now. I am still a senior high school student, striving hard to achieve a high mark and graduate soon.

I hope you are doing well right now. I hope you are still eating healthy, sleeping enough, and enjoying life. You might be in college right now or probably already working. I hope we are still taking the path we have dreamed of during childhood — to be a doctor, pediatrician, or a veterinarian. However, if we could not follow our dreams, it is okay; maybe we are meant to have a better future, the one we want inside, not practically, but passionately. 

Also, I hope you are making friends and building relationships right now. I wish you could express yourself more to people, unlike me, who still struggles with communicating with other people. Please check up with our best friends from time to time, especially Ali, Kham, and Peyt. I wish you guys went outside more often and shared the good times in each other’s lives.

Please check Mama and Papa, our family, along with them. Give them attention, be respectful, and avoid taking your anger out on them. They are already old, so please take care of them. I hope you are meeting their needs and providing what they want. Please spoil them at least in their life. Also, I hope you can bond with them, especially with your sisters, even though they have already gone their separate ways. Please bring them the laughter and warmth we currently have.

These requests might be pressuring, along with your personal needs; however, I hope you could do this little by little. I hope you can find your partner or “the one” to help you with these requests and your goals in your life. I hope you will live the life that you want. And to end my message, I would like to give you a little motivation. Life may be full of struggles, challenges, and obstacles, but do not forget to smile at everyone. Let us be positive when facing problematic situations so we can get up and solve them. If life does not align with your expectations, do not worry, maybe it is not meant for us, but perhaps we are meant for something better. Claim it and manifest it. And remember to slay all day!