Daddy Groovy turned 70

My daddy turned 70 years old last February 26, 2016. And we prepared a surprise birthday celebration for him on his big day. We wanted to reminisce on the years that molded and shaped him as well as to look back on past memories with family and friends. More importantly, we wanted to say thank you to him for all the years that he's been a father to us. We wanted to thank God for giving him 70 wonderful years and we ask God to give him many more years ahead.

Before I go on to the details on how we were able to come up with the party, let me give you a brief background about my Dad.

He is the second to the eldest among the children of Wenceslao and Angelina. His siblings are Josefina and Helen. A true blooded Kapampangan, Daddy found his passion in the arts. He took up Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Advertising at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas in España, Manila. Shortly after graduation he landed in an advertising agency. Branded as a silent water that runs deep, Daddy is a man of few words. But he is so articulate in expressing himself. He worked in various well-known and prestigious advertising agencies in the Philippines and one of those was DYR-Alcantara.

Because of his art works, he was able to capture the heart of our mother, Minda. In short they raised six lovely angels namely: Joyce, Jheng, Joan, Jaramine, Janelle and Jennica. Our family grew in number when the three of us got married and have children we call our own. Now, Daddy is already Lolo Dad to his 9 grandchildren.

Life caters not only happiness but also slices of sadness. Our Mommy died last April 2, 2015.  We didn't expect it to happen but we hold on to the thought that God has a reason. Whatever it is, we believe it is for good.

ORGANIZING THE PARTY

When my Mommy was still alive, we were planning to have a party for Daddy because he will turn 70 then. But there were no concrete plans yet. Until this year when February is fast approaching, me and my sisters Jara, Nica and Janelle had a meeting on the surprised party.

I also called and informed my two sisters, Joyce and Joan (who are living in abroad) about the plan. Without any hesitation, I got their Yes! We were very excited as the days passed by.

The preparation includes the finalization of the date of the party, the venue, the time, the caterer and the guests list.

When we finalized the whereabouts of the party and who were the invited people, my sister Joan made the invitation. I sent her the details of the party and she made a lay out of the invitation, the backdrop and the poster.

We also thought of coming up with a button pin as our souvenir give away.

We sent the invitation through Facebook, while we texted the other guests to come.


THE INVITATION 
This is the invitation we sent to the guests through Facebook and Email.

THE BACKDROP 

We placed this one at the wall to be part of the decoration of the stage.

THE POSTER
We used this as decoration for "Daddy's Corner" instead of a photo booth.

THE SOUVENIR

We thought of a button pin that serves as our souvenir for the guests who came so that they will have something to look upon as they remember this event in my Daddy's life.

THE STAGE

The stage was decorated by Bong, one of our maintenance staff in the office. The stage was surrounded with green plants symbolizing greater hope for more years of happy life.

DADDY'S CORNER

Instead of renting a photo booth, we thought of creating a corner where they can take photos of themselves and with the birthday boy.

THE CAKE

The cake was very simple yet attractive and meaningful as it seem. It was the gift of my sister Janelle and his boyfie, Harold.

THE SURPRISE

Before we started the surprise party, the venue was already set. The decorations, catering, the props, sound system were already set. The guests were all gathered inside the venue. While waiting for Daddy to arrive, we have old photos of him with his family, relatives, friends and colleagues. It was accompanied by playing some of the oldies but goodies songs from his generation.

We started the program with a surprise. Here's how we did it.

"One of the best things in life happens in a surprise! It's Daddy's 70th Birthday! Without his knowledge, a big surprise birthday party awaits him. Making it possible to gather all the people that matters in his life excitedly waiting for him to arrive at the venue.

How we were able to bring him at the party?

Days before I told him that there is a media event in the office and we were looking for volunteers. There were many raffle prizes to be given away. Talking out loud to my sisters (so that Daddy can hear) whom I asked if they want to volunteer.

On Saturday, February 27, at 2pm, I was already in the venue and I called Daddy saying, "Dad, aalis ka ba? Pwede mo ba ako sunduin sa office mamaya. Di ba kasi may event kami. nanalo kasi ko ng washing machine. Tulungan niyo ko ni Nica iuwi para maisakay sa FX." Then, he said, "sige."

At around 5p.m., Jennica, my sister called saying, "ate Jheng, malapit na kami." As they arrived, I said, "Dad, dun tayo sa 4th floor nandun kasi yung napanalunan ko." At the door, before we entered, I called Janelle, my other sister to signal tht we were already about to enter. I knocked and I said, "kuya pakibukas naman po yung pinto, ibababa lang po namin yung washing machine."

As the door opened everybody was there to surprise him. His family, relatives, friends and colleagues were all there for his big day.

It was a connivance between us, his family and the rest.

Special thanks to Ms. Ggie Bernabe for capturing these significant moments.



THE PROGRAM

We started the program with an Opening Prayer led by Jennard, the eldest among the grandsons.

Dear Lord,

We are gathered here as we celebrate the 70th birthday of NESTOR MANALANG.

Today, we are given the opportunity to once again celebrate the gift of life you give to Nestor. We are given the chance of thanking you for those times of celebrations as we remember the amazing days of his life.

Together, we bow our heads with so much thanksgiving on our lips and with joy in our spirit for giving Nestor the gift of long and wonderful life.

We ask you to always bless him and his family. Continue to shower them your undying love and care.

Protect him with your loving arms. Stand by him either in his victory or defeat. Make him count on you in everything he does.

Make him see the glory of your name as he goes through the different stages and seasons of his life.

We pray that you continue to bless him your wisdom and fill his life with your mercy and grace.

We ask you to always pour him your unending grace as he continue to be the strength of his family.

Lord, be with him as he continue to journey his life. Make him see the gifts you bestowed upon him and his family as he reflects and looks back over the years of his life.

As he begin to start another chapter of his life, make it more meaningful and fruitful. Shower it with blessings ahead of him.

Grant him also good health and many more years so he can continue to serve, care and love his family.

These we ask in the name of Jesus Christ and with the help of our Blessed Mother, Amen.  

After the prayer, an Opening Dance Number was presented to set the party into a more festive mood. Chelsea, Caitlin and Jeraine danced to the tune of All About the Bass  and they called themselves "Lolo Dad's Angels." 

After these cute little kids graced the celebration, my sisters Janelle and Jennica read the reason of the celebration.

Today, we are gathered here to celebrate the 70th birthday of our daddy, Nestor. 70 wonderful years of existence is indeed a blessing to be thankful for to the Lord and as they say, cheers for 
the years to come!

This celebration is not just to show or let daddy feel how much we love and care for him but a wonderful opportunity to know him better and deeper.

This celebration also opens the door for us, his family to start a new chapter in our lives. Her wife, our mother, Minda passed away on April 2, 2015. We are grieving for almost a year. After she left us, we tried to live our lives without her. Damn hard! But we have to. We have to move a step forward, of course with her memories always in our hearts. Life goes on as they always say. This celebration could be a lot happier if Mommy is here. She was waiting for this celebration to happen as well as their golden anniversary. But I believe, wherever Mommy is, she is happy to see us all together here. She is happy to see daddy smiling.

After giving a brief introduction of what the event was  all about, a short video presentation was prepared by Jennica to mark the milestones in Daddy's life as well as to look back at the old memories and to look forward in creating new memories.

The grandchildren we're called in front of the stage to join their Lolo Dad as they present the birthday cake for him to make a wish and blow the candles.

When the cake was presented, Richard, my husband, who is in another country gave his message and birthday wishes to Daddy.

Some of us have traditions during birthdays. One of those is the symbolical gifts. In Daddy's 70th birthday celebration we have chosen 7 important people in his life that will give him a symbolical gift and at the same time to give their message and birthday wishes. They were: Helen (sister), Gay (cousin), Luz (cousin), Gigie (colleague; she also represented Ms. Grace Chong-boss of Daddy), Amy (kumare; in behalf of Sixto) and Long-Long (kumpare).

An acoustic rendition of the songs Living Legacy, Let it Be and You Were There were performed by Mark and Nimrod taking the party into a lighter mood. Those songs were (we think) among Daddy's favorites.

Dinner was served after Mark and Nimrod rendered their soulful version of the oldies but goodies songs from Daddy's generation.

Shortly after we ate our dinner, we showed the video message of my sister Joan and her partner, Con. They are in Australia and they also wanted to give Dad their birthday greetings and wishes.

After the video was shown, we then proceeded with the 7 Dance. You might be wondering why there is a seven dance?

We usually see a father and daughter dance during a debut. But this time, in this very special occasion, we took the opportunity to have a dance with Daddy. All of us his daughters and grand daughters had a dance with him. This was a reminder that once in daddy and mommy's life, they held us their children in their embrace. Their daughters who were once babies, turned into ladies, turned into women.

The seven dance were: Jeraine, Caitlin, Chelsea, Jennica, Janelle, Jaramine and Jheng.  

After the 7 dance, a video message of my sister Joy with her family was shown. They wanted to greet Dad a happy birthday and to extend their wishes for a happy life. It was followed by a dance number from Dan, her husband and son, Elian.

The Lolo Dad's Angels had their opening number by dancing All About the Bass. These good looking grandsons of Daddy would let this celebration passed without performing something for their Lolo. They sang "Ang Huling El Bimbo" by the Eraserheads.

Singing doesn't run in our blood. But for their willingness to please their Lolo, they did. 

The boys were: Christian, Jennard, Christoff and Carl.

After the performance of the boys, we came to one of the highlights of the celebration. The 7 Toasts or the Birthday Toast.

A birthday toast can be viewed in different ways. You can help the guests remember the celebrant in good light. A toast can also communicate how much the speaker values his/her experiences with the celebrant. A toast can also state thankfulness or a toast can speak of the ways the celebrant can continue his legacy. And what is important about having a toast is to remind us that daddy still has time left to live. More years to live for him to make more memories with us.

The 7 toasts were: Isting, Rudy, Jun, Ross, Chris, JQ and Allan.

And the toast to the years that passed and for the years ahead...Happy Birthday, Nestor!!!

  

We heard so much about Daddy. This time it is the time to hear from him as he delivered his message and gratitude to those who remembered and came over the party.

We ended the celebration with a closing prayer led by Christian Ribay.

Dear Lord,

We are so much thankful and grateful for an occasion like this. Thank you for gathering us all here to celebrate Daddy’s 7Oth birthday. It was indeed an unforgettable and wonderful moments that we will all surely add in our library of happy memories.

May we all keep in touch with Daddy as he continue to write new pages in his life.

We will not close this celebration, for everyday is a celebration of life for daddy and for all of us.

Grant him good health and many more years to live. Bless all the people he love and the people that love him.

Guide our footsteps as we go home.

These we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, with the help of Mama Mary. Amen.

Here are some of the photos during the Surprise Birthday Party...

In behalf of my family we would like to say thank you to all of you who remembered and came over our surprised party for our Daddy. We thank you and we are looking forward to seeing you making memories with us.

The party was hosted by Jara and Jheng (we're his daughters).

We thank the following:

Santos family, Prado family, Ribay family

Jennica for the Video Presentation

Janelle and Harold for the Cake

Joan for lay out of Invitation, Backdrop, Poster and Souvenir

Jara for the Balloons

Jheng for the Script and Program/Coordinator

Tita Helen 

Ggie Bernabe for contacting the DYR colleagues

RCAM for the venue

Vikoy's Catering 

Bong for the stage and Daddy's Corner decorations

Ajie for the technical support

Pastoral Secretariat for the LCD Projector

RCAM guards 

If I forgot someone/something,,,,please bear with me...Thank you and God bless us all!!!

God's Mercy and Forgiveness

"For God so loved the world, He gave us His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

This bible verse clearly manifests how God loves us so much. The love of God for mankind is great that He sacrificed His only Son to redeem us from the depth of ours sins.

When Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross, God showed us that His love is very unconditional. In reality, who among us will lay down his life for the people he/she loves? It is very hard to answer, I bet. Yet, God did it for us. His love is very pure and tender.

Apart from the wisdom that God's heart is filled with endless love, God's mercy is overflowing as well. Even when we fall because of our wickedness, God's arms are always open waiting for us to come back in His warm embrace.

"The Lord God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him." (Daniel 9:9). We should always remember that God is never tired of forgiving us. Only man gets tired of asking for forgiveness.  We receive His love and mercy if we know how to forgive.

I believe that no matter how painful we've been hurt there is always a soft spot of forgiveness inside our hurts. In Colossians 3:13, he said, "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

We are just human, We are not perfect. We all have flaws in life.  I, too have my own share of imperfections.  We are weak. We are all subject to commit mistakes, to wrong doings. Most of the time, we got hurt by the people we love or the people close to our heart or we are even the one causing them pain.

It is not easy to forgive. Neither to ask for forgiveness. When we are overshadowed by our anger and we cultivate hate in our heart, we find it hard to forgive and we are rejecting the mercy of God.

God forgives our sins, even if we repeatedly commit the same mistake, He willingly and repeatedly forgive our sins, so, who are we not to forgive others, too.  This is exactly the same thing Jesus told Peter when he was asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"  And Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." (Matthew 18:21-22) See how good and forgiving God is.

It really takes guts and effort to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. It takes a brave heart and determined heart to make this great move.

I admire those people who have the courage to forgive and those who have the eagerness ask for forgiveness. In that way, they are truly receiving the love and mercy of the Lord. You make your heart the temple of the Holy Spirit because you allow them to work inside you.

There were times in my life that I find it hard to forgive. I hesitate to ask for forgiveness. It's really been a while since my heart was covered with hate and anger influence the way I feel and think over life. I became paranoid and started to focused on the pessimist side of life.  There were times I pretend to be okay, but I know my heart still has angst and pain.

Not until I realized that I am blessed with so many things in life that I should never savour the time of hating other people. The lessons I learned in life, the circumstances where I was with and the people I mingled with brought me back to my senses. I believe as the time swiftly flies, eventually, the wound is healed and over time, the pain subsides.

When you go through this certain process in your life, there will be a point that you want to unload all the excess baggage you carry inside your heart until you feel you want to forgive and forget and move on with what life still has to offer you.

It is not easy to forget all the wrongs things done to you. You cannot erase all the bad memories in your life. But being the child of God, recognizing His endless mercy, we should learn to love with all our heart because love keeps no record of sins.

Having all the realizations in life, I decided to forgive.

They say, the first to forgive is the first to love. And I love because I received God's mercy and love.
This is the same thing God did for us. He forgave our sins when Christ was nailed on the cross reminding us how humble He is even though He is a powerful God.

Humility is a virtue. A virtue that we should practice. A virtue that we be possessed by anyone who has a heart that loves and forgives.

It is hard to say sorry but to ask for forgiveness will not lessen your worth as a person. It becomes a sign that you are free from the slavery of hate. And if we forgive, we become the child God wants us to be.

At times, we become weak but I believe God allows us to remain weak to teach us how much we need him so that we can have all the reason to back in his loving arms.

We received His mercy if we forgive .And to continue receiving His mercy, let us acknowledge that we are sinners and we are ready to ask for forgiveness.

We get punishment from God because of the consequences of our acts. But it doesn't mean He doesn't love us. He just wanted to teach us lessons. It is never too late to ask for forgiveness. Even if we are forgiven, let us continue to ask for the mercy, love and guidance of God.

The most beautiful thing that will happen to you when you receive God's mercy through forgiveness is you once again build a bridge of love and you destroy the walls of division among others and among yourself.

You are free yourself from grudges and finally the prisoner that was you was freed from the prisoned walls of anger and hate.

Forgive. It is a gift.
Forgive. It is a blessing.
Forgive. You are loved.
Forgive. You will be forgiven.
Forgive. Because God forgives.

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Another personal reflection of the Wandering Soul from the 3-day retreat at the Mornese Center of Spirituality in Calamba, Laguna on February 17-19, 2016. The retreat master was Bishop Ted Bacani. The topic was in line with the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

God's Love is Great (Personal Reflection)

Have you ever wonder how good and great the Lord is?

Have you ever thought how awesome the name of the Lord is?

Before you realize how good, great and awesome the Lord God is, you have first to know that God is love. And the love of God is the foremost basis of our existence as human being. God's love is the root of human relationship and all the other relationships.

God is love. He is perfect and He is perfectly happy. He doesn't need anything. He is not lonely because He is not alone. Even when we say that there is only one God, we should remember the Blessed Trinity: The Father, the Lover; the Son, the beloved; and the Holy Spirit that binds the Father and the Son.

Indeed, God is overflowed with happiness. And He wants to share His happiness with us that is why He created the world. He created Us. This is how we define the Love of God for us. His love is unselfish. He aspires good things for us.

There are three things that God wants us to have: BEAUTY, GREATNESS AND ABUNDANCE.

BEAUTY
(kagandahan)

Many people are mistaken about the concept of beauty. At times when we say that the person is beautiful, we mean his/her physical appearance. That is the beauty which we first see in a person. For some, to be beautiful is to use a few whitening products like soap or lotion with the belief that they will be beautiful when they use those. I believe this beauty is just the front cover of our being.

Real beauty is skin deep. A beauty that goes beyond what the naked eye can see. A beauty that is from within. A beauty that comes from within. And what could be the best way to be beautiful? That is to be happy. Finding happiness with peace in your mind and in your heart. When a person is happy, the beauty comes out naturally.

A simple smile can trace beauty in your face. Being kind and generous is being beautiful. To be humble and be sorry is also being beautiful. At times, you don't easily appreciate the beauty of the person because your judgement comes first. And most of the time, to discover the real beauty of a person, you have to spend a few time of conversation.

Remember, it is written in the Bible that we, humans, are created in the image and likeness of the Lord that is why we are beautiful.

GREATNESS
(kadakilaan)

The Lord created us through His image and likeness and that make us distinct from the rest of His creation. The Lord wants us to be great. We are made to be great.

Every human being is unique. Every one has what the others don't have. We are given talents and abilities for us to cultivate and eventually share to one another. We are given free will to decide what best suits us or what is not good for us.

Our talents will shape us and mold us to be God's greatest creation.

Though each one of us has different personalities and attitudes or behaviors, we have to help one another and compliment each other. Let us set aside the "crab mentality" attitude that we have in us. God wants us to be the best and God brings out the best in us. If at times, we lose hope and chooses to give up, let's motivate each other and remind each other that we are God's greatest creation.

ABUNDANCE
(kasaganahan)

During creation, God made a paradise for humans to live and to take good care of. He puts there everything man needs. He gave man more than what is enough.

In the Bible, there are several times that showed how the good Lord give His people more that what they asked for. The first miracle of God during the Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1-12), when they ran out of wine to serve for the people, they went to Jesus.

There were six stone jars each holding 20 or 30 gallons. Jesus said to them to fill the jars with water.
When the jars were filled with water, Jesus asked them to taste the water and bring it to the master of the feast. When the master of the feast tasted the water, it became wine.

This shows how great God is and how great his love for man is. We just have to strengthen our faith to him.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, many people are poor. Poverty becomes a perennial problem in our country and in some countries around the world.

We believe in fatalism. We put our actions or the events in our life to fate: horoscope, swerte, lotto, game show, etc. We believe that we are powerless and we cannot do anything other than what we actually do.

Another expression of poverty is being poor in spirit. We depend our happiness through material possessions.  Most peoples' illusion is: happiness depends on the amount of his salary. Money is the root of evil. There is something more than luxuries. Our faith in the Lord that He alone can provide us with life's extravagance.

When God created us, He gave us power over his creation. He gave us the resources. He has faith in us that we can achieve something and be somebody someday.

Let us always put in our hearts and minds that the love of God is unselfish. It is pure. It is so unconditional. God who truly loves always sees the good in us and always wishes what is good for us.

Beauty, Greatness and Abundance are some of the expression of the love of God for mankind. Other than these, His greatest love is best expressed in our relationship with Him, with our neighbors and with his creation.

There are three Kinds of Relationships: Relationship with God, Relationship with Others, and Relationship of Man to the World.

1. RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

In Deuteronomy 6:5 it says, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your (mind and) heart and with your entire being and with all your might."

This is how the way we should love God for the reason that He created us. All of us came from Him. Everything we have, everything around us comes from God.

The First Commandment states "You shall not have any other Gods than me." Clearly, this tells us that we should love God above all things. His love for us is the main reason why we are here on earth.

Many relationships failed because they were blinded by fame, power and wealth.  They forgot that to be rich is to be under the care of God's loving arms. They neglected to place God as the center of their relationship.  How many families were broken because they don't see the love of God and that they find it hard to show it to their children? How many children got lost because parents weren't able to find time to express the love of God?

When you fail to see the wondrous and amazing love of God to mankind, then you also failed your relationship with God and to the rest.

All relationships are rooted in our relationship with the Creator of the World.

2. RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS

What does the Bible says in loving others?

In Luke 6:35, it says, "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and wicked.


This is what the Lord asks us to do, to love our neighbors the way He loves us.

This may be hard for some of us. Some will say that it is easier said than done. It is not easy to love the person who hurt us and who caused us pain. We find it hard to forgive those people who wronged us.

We hardly notice that we are nurturing anger and hate in our hearts. And God doesn't like to see His children living in pain and hurt. It is true that it is really hard, but have we ever thought that God forgives us every time we sinned regardless of how big or small it was? And He sent His only son to redeem us from the Original Sin committed by Adam and Eve. This shows how great His love is and how merciful the love of God is. He allowed his only Son to suffer and die on the cross to save mankind from sin.

Conversion of the heart is what we need if we find it hard to love others. The Golden Rule tells us to "Do unto others what you want others do unto you." Show mercy and compassion if you want them to be kind to you. Give and share what you have even though you don't have enough if you want them to return love to you. Be humble and meek if you want them to appreciate you. Do not be boastful or too bragging. God's love works in Silence and that silence is the loudest sound that vibrates in the world especially in our hearts.

Forgive. This is what the Lord did.
Forgive. And you will be forgiven.

3. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD

The story of Creation is one of the clear manifestations of the love of God for us. He created the world to be our home. He created man to become the steward of His creation. And being the steward, we are given the responsibility to take good care of His creation. Being God's stewards means  taking charge of the environment, nature and the people.

Our environment is one of God's greatest gifts to us. It encompasses His greatest art works. In Genesis 1:28, that is when he said to Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

We should understand that not because God said we should rule the earth, we can do whatever we want to do with it. Yes, we can really do what we want to do but let us remember that we are molded and created through God's image and likeness, which means we are rational being having the ability to think properly than the rest of His creations. And by this, it is understood that we are intelligent than all His creations. We are blessed to think what is good and not, and what is right or wrong for the people and the environment.

As I said, we are called to be stewards of His creation and not merely exploiters of the environment. Man's greed is destroying the very beautiful gift God has bestowed upon us. As Christians, we do have the duty to protect and care for our environment. We should do our part before it becomes too late for us.

This is written in Laudato Si, the second encyclicals of Pope Francis. He calls the people of the world to take fast or swift and unified action for our environment. We have to heed this call and start within ourselves, our families and communities.

When we care for the environment, we show how we love God.

Let us all remember that we are all connected to each other. As the lyric of the song goes "Ang lahat ng bagay ay magka-ugnay, magka-ugnay ang lahat."

All three relationships are interconnected. When we love God, we love others, too. And when we love His creation we show how we appreciate the love of God for us.


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The Arzobispado de Manila employees had their annual Lenten Retreat at the Mornese Center of Spirituality in Calamba, Laguna on February 17-19, 2016. The three day retreat was given by Bishop Teodoro Bacani. The topic was in line with the celebration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

This is a personal reflection of the wandering soul.

My first Christmas without Mommy

As they say, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year because it is the only season where all the members of your family gather together to celebrate love, life, happiness and of course, the birth of Christ.

This year, we celebrated Christmas without Mommy. Our first Christmas without her, my first Christmas without her.

There are of course so many reasons to be happy about this Christmas season, but the loneliness and emptiness of missing Mommy filled my entire Christmas season and I always find myself looking through all the memories I had with her.

I terribly miss her…

in all ways,

in all forms

and in every reason.

When she was still alive, we used to do a lot of things together especially when this joyous season of the year enters.  She will bring out our Christmas decors, clean it and wash it. Then, with excitement , we will together fill the house with all the Christmas decors to make our home festive.

We will even go to Quiapo and 168 to look for additional decors that will match the colors and designs of the curtains and pillow cases.

I miss her thoughtfulness during this season. She sees to it that we will celebrate Christmas happily. She will buy me and my sister as well as my daddy stuff we will use for the celebration. She will buy her apos clothes, shoes, clips, etc. to be worn during Noche Buena and Media Noche.  The candies and give aways for the kids are already prepared then. We are busy window shopping at SM malls. Afterwards, we will together wrap the gifts and happily place it under the Christmas tree.

Two days before Christmas, the table is filled with different kinds of fruits.  The day before Christmas, we will go to the market and buy all the foods to be served for Noche Buena. Spaghetti, Salad, Ube, Leche Flan, Puto, Ham and Queso de Bola were among her favorites that you will see in the table.

Then I can see her smile, the joy and happiness of celebrating it with us. When Christmas countdown, you will hear her call us, “Jheng, kain na, tawagin nyo na si daddy nyo. Nasan na sina Nica at Janelle? Tawagin nyo na si jaramine saka yung mga bata.” And all of us will gather around the table eating and sharing the foods we cooked.

Around that table is a family that ate, talked, shared stories and laughed together. Oh, how I miss you, Mommy….I really miss you. We all miss you.

But this Christmas, we celebrated it without her. We were happy, we tried to be happy. We did the same preparation she did while she was with us. But nothing and no one can take the pain of losing you, Mommy.

I tried not to drop a tear when we celebrated Christmas. I tried to smile. I tried not to think that you’re not here anymore. But as I looked into the photos of you during Christmas 2014, I said to myself you wouldn’t want to see us in pain. You wouldn’t want to see us enveloped with loneliness. You want us smile. You want us to be happy.

You were always the life of the party, Mommy.

But our Chirstmas will never be the same without you.

Though it hurts, though it’s sad, life goes on without you.

Merry Christmas, Mommy! I know you are celebrating your happiest Christmas with the Lord. Don’t forget to take a glance upon us through the windows of heaven.

I love you, Mommy and I miss you so much.

Long ago...

I am a fan of Bruno Mars and I love listening to all his songs. "When I was your Man" is one of my favorites. This soulful song became more pleasing to me when somebody gave meaning to it. And after hearing it over and over again, I gathered my thoughts and was able to write this short poem.


Long ago you gave me flowers,
long ago you held my hand.

Long ago you gave your hours,
long ago we danced.

Long ago you slipped the chance,
long ago was a memory you can only glance.

You're sorry and you're wrong,
coz long ago you weren't strong.

Long ago was your biggest pain,
coz that long ago is a thing you can no longer gain.

I kept in my heart your promises of long ago,
but now it was a memory I forego.

Long ago was a lost time,
coz long ago you use to call me mine.

Long ago there was you and me,
and now you're here saying sorry
coz you didn't have me.

Long ago was long ago,
simply because....
long ago you let me go...

The things I've learned...

I was taught to show kindness and affection to people who has a heart and even to those who show mean and nasty deeds.

I was taught to give due respect to people who value their self-worth much more to the elders and even to those who show rigid disposition in life.

I was taught to share what I have be it much or less to those people who show appreciation and recognition and even to those who have selfish acts.

I was taught not only to share but to give even if I don’t have enough, to the people who have less in life especially to the poor and the needy ones.

I was taught to follow and obey rules with sincerity and truthfulness and live it by example so that other people will understand its significance.

I was taught to fight for my right even if it is too impossible because of inequality. Sometimes you need to fight for your right with conviction not only for yourself but for those who chose to keep silent. Because in our society, some see you more and some see you less.

I was taught to be polite and smart when the situation requires me to, not because I accept their words of insult but because my mind dictates me that it is part of my behavior to be well mannered at all times.

I was taught to be composed even if the moment calls me to freak out not because I am uneducated but because my maturity is tested.

I was taught to be humble and meek to people who also show humility and even to those who are too proud and loud of their accomplishments. I am often reminded that humility is a virtue.

I was taught to ask for forgiveness if I know I’ve done wrong because to ask for forgiveness doesn’t make me less of a person. Likewise, I was taught to forgive no matter how much pain it caused me because healing is good for my health and my soul.

I was taught not to hold grudges against anyone especially to the people I love and even to those who want to bring me down. They may have pulled me down but God's hand is there to lift me up.

I was taught to be silent if I don’t have anything good to say because words are better uttered to uplift a spirit rather than to cause wound in the heart.

I was taught not to judge a person right away because of the way he speaks, the way he dresses or the way the acts. What they need is an understanding heart. This person lacks love from the people around him that is why he easily casts stone on anyone's back.

I was taught not to point a finger on someone unless I’ve proved them wrong because I shouldn’t be throwing sharp words to him for the words I used to destroy him are the words that sometimes suit to describe me.

I was taught not to question on someone else’s happiness because happiness cannot be seen on what possessions I have or cannot be counted with the places I've been through. Happiness is not tangible. It cannot be measured. Happiness is a state of mind. Happiness is happiness if your heart grows in love and you have peace of mind.

I was taught not to compare myself to anyone. God created us equally and I believe I am unique in my own ways. Comparison will not bring me any good. It stimulates unhealthy competition, disappointment and depression.

I was taught to live a simple life even if I have the means to have a luxurious living. It is better to be contented for what I have than to crave for the things my arms cannot embrace. With this, I was also taught to be thankful and grateful for every blessing I receive.

I was taught not to take revenge or retaliate on someone who has done something bad on me. I was taught to practice self-control and anger management. Remember, God blesses a peaceful, forgiving and loving heart.

I was taught to let go of something or people that no longer bring good or peace to myself. It’s good to look back to memories once in a while but to let go is far more best than holding on.

I was taught to view life in a wider perspective and that is to keep a fighting spirit, to keep positive thoughts even if I am in world full of chaos, hypocrisy, selfishness, greediness and pride. It is better to be surrounded with optimism and good vibes.

I was taught to trust even if sometimes I feel disappointed. Trusting is placing my hands in the hands of God because He alone can unveil whatever lies ahead of me. 

I was taught to value my family because no matter what happens, no matter what it takes, my family will still be the first to catch me when I fall, the first to get hurt when I'm in pain and the first to be happy and proud when I reap victory.

I was taught to love with all my heart the people dear to me, the people close to me and even the people who hate me because they need it the most for love is the greatest gift of God to His people. It breaks walls and boundaries and builds bridges.

Above all, I was taught to pray even if it is hardest to pray. Many people need it. Prayers are the best weapon in every battle I encounter. It can move mountains. It can save a soul. It can change a life. It can soften a hard heart. It can heal. It increases faith.

There are many things in life that I learned and everyday I am still learning. The lessons are sometimes hard but I keep in mind that it is part of life. I am  thankful that I am still alive for I get the chance to see the beauty around me. 

In this journey, I am blessed to love and be loved and to care and be cared for. Life is short. Life is sweet. Life is good. It is not how long I live my  life but how I take this journey as I go through life matters the most. Enjoy life and learn to live life happily.