Easter Day will always remind me that my son is just around me. I believe he is somewhere living an eternal life. This station of… Read More »Easter Sunday Message
“When we are unable to find tranquillity within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Discovering a tranquil peace at Luijoe meadow leaves me energized and comforted. Luijoe’s grandparents named this “Luijoe meadow”, a playground to frolic at their mountain residence in Benguet. They had named this lovely meadow after their only grandson, Luijoe even before my son passed away in May 27, 2000.
Luijoe meadow somewhere in Benguet
It was Holy Week in 2000 when we all vacationed in this picturesque pine valley hideaway. My energetic young man wasn’t in the mood to have his photo taken by Luijoe meadow then but I insisted. He was in a hurry to run around and just be. That Holy Week was well spent talking about the death of Jesus on the Cross, the comfort of Mary by John the Apostle and more. I didn’t know my son was preparing me for his death a few weeks later.
Painting on the wall of Church of Holy Sacrifice, UP Campus
My son’s death reminds me that life on Earth is fleeting that there is far more meaningful tasks that need to be accomplished before the promise of eternal life. There are poignant memories that comfort me today. Luijoe often gave me a hug and reminded me before bedtime. “Mom you haven’t prayed”. I catch myself during chaotic situations, praying to God for serenity. I remember my son’s gentle reminder and lift my problems in prayer.
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.
The first thing I do when I wake up is read my tweets. The RIP AJ Perez was most prominent in my timeline. Who is AJ Perez? I found out that AJ Perez was the lone fatality of an accident in Tarlac. AJ was declared dead on arrival by a hospital in Paniqui shortly after the accident took place at 12:10 a.m due to 2 multple head injuries.
Read More »AJ Perez long drive ahead
Rest in peace, Elizabeth Taylor. I will always remember Elizabeth Taylor for her violet-eyed beauty, her stormy romances and eight marriages and her Oscar-winning performances. I also like her quotable quotes that shows snippets of her life:
Not at least until I’m dead, and at the moment I’m having too much fun being alive…and I plan on staying that way.
Every breath you take today should be with someone else in mind. I love you.
That is the thing that will give back to you all the rewards that there are. Don’t do it for yourself, because then it becomes selfish.
Give. Remember always to give. That is the thing that will make you grow.
You are who you are. All you can do in this world is help others to be who they are and better themselves and those around them.
Never let yourself think beyond your means…mental, emotional or any otherwise.
Always keep love and humility in your heart.
No one is going to play Elizabeth Taylor, but Elizabeth Taylor herself.
Humor is the only way to stay alive.
Because then it becomes about yourself…which is wrong. Giving is to give to God. Helping is to help others.
You find out who your real friends are when you’re involved in a scandal.
I suppose when they reach a certain age some men are afraid to grow up. It seems the older the men get, the younger their new wives get.
It’s not the having, it’s the getting.
Marriage is a great institution.
My mother says I didn’t open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was an engagement ring. I was hooked.
Read More »I’m a survivor – a living example of what people can go through and survive.- Elizabeth Taylor
“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief…and unspeakable love.” – Washington Irving
As Kumagi walks through his town, he stares in wonder at the destruction around him.
Read More »The grief of earthquake & tsunami survivors in Japan
I saw the news in Twitter. Angelo Reyes got shot.
“Who was Angelo Reyes?” I asked in Twitter.
The corruption charges against the General Garcia was not something I really followed because I was busy with other matters like the Reproductive health issue. Besides, one of the bloggers was going to write about it.
Twitter was then buzzing with shock and wondering what happened.
Did he feel he could no longer hold his head high, with his former underling telling the world how he (Reyes) had left the military service with millions in people’s money?
Read More »Reactions on Angelo Reyes’ death
A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. ~Marion C. Garretty
We are four sisters. Two (Myrna and Lorna) are based in the United States and two of us (Belen and myself) reside in Manila. I was supposed to join Lorna as an immigrant by now but I declined the application papers in 1986. Myrna (the sister running for City Council here in a city in Califorina) and Lorna moved to San Francisco in 1984 and 1986 respectively to nurse a broken heart. I am particularly close to Myrna. We talked for hours about our love life, our work, and philosophy of life. We love to dress up and be fashionable that we often shared clothes and accessories. There was a time that we even looked alike except I am taller . Unlike my two other sisters, we don’t stay up late to party. We often giggled how the two other sisters scampered to the gate to join their friends , once my dad went up to his bedroom. Dad never knew this.
That was why I felt broken-hearted when Myrna found work in Calfornia in 1984 as an Architect (yes she had a working visa). I wanted to join her. It seemed I was getting nowhere with my 6 year relationship with Butch so I asked him “do you want to marry me or not? If you won’t marry me, that’s okay because I will join my sister in California”.
To my surprise, Butch did not see my question as a threat. He said he’d marry me the following year even if he was just second year in Law school. Though years have kept us apart , our sisterly bond is always there. I can’t quite pinpoint what makes us close. Perhaps, a sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves – a special kind of double.
Read More »Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet
I regret being unable to join my good friend Noemi Dado on this extremely happy occasion. She and her husband are the best kind of friends any writer can ask for. She can agree to disagree and can find the whole path where neither integrity nor civility ends up being compromised.
I don’t know how Noemi gets her energy but it is amazing. So is her level of achievement. She takes teasing with aplomb and finds ways to do more and more without sacrificing family or friendship.
This Momblogger is a walking typing talking institution. Long may she remain so. Read her, learn from her, debate with her: enjoy her work as she enjoys learning and sharing with the world.
Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak. Whispers the oe’r
fraught heart and bids it break. ~William Shakespeare
Picking up the pieces
As we as a nation try to salvage what bit of dignity of we can still salvage on the failed operation of the police, the failure of the government of Noynoy Aquino and the wanton disregard of some irresponsible members of the media for the safety of the hostages, we should also examine how we as Filipinos dealt with the situation and conducted ourselves. Yes, the incompetence of the police, corruption and government and perhaps the arrogant demeanor of some media outfits are so routine to us that we’ve accepted them as a fact of life and part and parcel of being Filipino but at the end of the day, we must not allow these so-called realities cloud our ability to feel compassion – and more importantly to show this feeling of sadness and grief outwardly to those who are really hurting.
