Movie actress Jackie Forster shared insights for young women in this time of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The 41-year-old mother of five shared her realization, yesterday, June 23, in the In Love With Me Facebook online series hosted by former beauty queen (Bb. Pilipinas – World 2003) Mafae Yunon-Belasco.

The actress first shared that she had to set aside the list of dreams that she had before coming back home to the Philippines. Jackie and her family have been residing in different parts of globe (UK, Singapore, Malaysia, China) for the past many years due to the nature of her husband’s work for a multi-national company. Finally in December last year, her husband’s work takes them all back to Manila.

Her homecoming excitement made her list down some hope-to-do things. But not even halfway to their homecoming, the pandemic happened.

“I came here with a list of hopes and dreams like, when I come home, I’m gonna be able to do this and I dream of finally doing this,” the actress said in the online show. “And this lockdown [happened], and you’re like – I put that [list] aside. I didn’t wanna look at that stuff for a very long time. I just wanted to [focus on] whatever’s in hand. I kinda stop looking towards that because now it’s more like survival, right?”

However, if there’s one good thing she could get out of this pandemic, that is realizing that she is blessed with good-natured children and a supportive husband whom she can lean on to.

“I can do a lot but I can’t do it all,” Jackie uttered, describing how mothers usually do multi-tasking. “As much as I wanna be able to balance some plates here and a cup there and something else, I cannot.”

And this is where the Filipino-American actress shared her advice to the viewers, most especially to young women. And that is to be very careful in choosing their future husbands.

“That is why I encourage people when I have situations, you know, [when I can] share a story or two on Instagram, I try to tell…young ladies should pray about their spouse. Pray for the person you are gonna spend the rest of your life with. Even if wala pa ha, wala ka pang boyfriend.”

The mother of five continued: “Let’s say you’re 18, 19 and you’re watching this… before you even think of getting serious with someone, or why would you be in a relationship if you’re not gonna be serious with someone, right?

“Think about, at 18 you don’t know who you are yet, I’m telling you now. You know what you want in life but, you don’t really know. You just have to kinda pray to bless you with discernment, wisdom, with the right person that [could] fill in your gaps and kinda highlights your strength also. And supportive.”

What Jackie was trying to explain was seemingly based on her personal experience. It can be recalled that after her annulment from actor-basketball player Benjie Paras in 2003, the actress then married her Dutch businessman boyfriend. They now have three children.

“Life is not easy,” she went on. “And it is not fair. There are some people that have it easy, you know, there are some people that are super blessed, didn’t have to work as hard as we’re working for instance, right? It’s true. Some people are born rich. Some people were born with all these opportunities.

“And so having the right partner to grow with and to support you when you’re not sure, you’re confused, you’re scared…I think that’s the key. We need a key.”

Jackie also cited a scenario which could help young ladies think abut their ideal man.

“Like during quarantine, I don’t know…if I allow myself to think about if I’m in quarantine with my ex-boyfriend, right? And this situation happened, would he be the right person? No, right?

“I feel like, you know, as you go through things with your husband and you get over it, especially if you came out victoriously, you have a win, and you’re like, ‘Yeah, we make a good team!'”

The inspirational mother thus shared that she is grateful in facing the pandemic with the right person by her side.

“I realize now in quarantine that I can’t do it alone. I can’t,” Jackie confessed. “I’m with the person God meant to be in my life. We’ve been able to get through a lot, especially in this really trying time, we’re doing it together.”