A Walk Through Life

Some three months ago, our Tita Sarah (my late mom's elder sister) passed away after more than 3 years of battling with the big C. For some personal reason, I earlier decided I wouldn't blog about death anymore but today, I am breaking my rule as we are again losing another special person in the family - our grandmother! I know she has lived even longer than my mom and my aunt (she was 88 years old) who already went ahead of her but still it's a sad passing for we weren't expecting she'd be gone last Thursday. Even though I wasn't able to visit her as often as I would have wanted to , I have also thought of her fondly. Hopefully, if she will be able to see our situation up close now, I'm sure grandmother will understand. Truly, I will miss her. Thanks to her, I had a mom who was just as caring, as  thoughtful, and as wonderful as she. Even though her memory would fail her already, her sweetness was already part of her nature that it wouldn't be su...

One of the things I wouldn't forget about being employed from an American outsourcing company before was the fact that we've also celebrated American holidays with our American bosses. I would remember that when it's a US holiday, it's usually the time of rejoicing for us because it means we have no work. However, a more in-depth look at the holiday made me realize that we should not rejoice only because it's going to give us a respite from work; instead, we must also understand why we celebrate such a thing. The month of May, come the last Monday of the month, is US Memorial Day. Now, it's clear to me because I already got myself educated that this day is in honor of those who died in the service of the military such as, but not limited to, those who became officers and crew of the USS Bluegill . I believe that declaring a holiday in memory of those who died for the country's sake is indeed a great form of respect we can give to them. Remembering those who ...

"Oh, honey when I die Dress me up in a coat and tie Give my feet a pair of shoes That I haven't worn in a long time Put me in a golden box Not a cross on a pile of rocks Bury me where the grass is green And the gates are shining..." The quoted text above is the chorus to the lyrics from a song entitled " Poor Man's Grave " by a band called the Eraserheads. The melody to this song is so good that I can't help but sing along; however, if I would have to look deeper, it would cause me to think "is it really necessary to have a grand funeral"? I believe it wouldn't matter anymore when we're dead. However, the fact remains that it is important for most families to bury their dead with a decent funeral. It's like a form of last respect for a dead loved one. Personally, I came from a family who didn't have the benefit of a good insurance. I remember when one would get sick, we can't expect dad's insurance ...

Photo Source: Internet What is it about death that we don't really want to talk about it? Death is a reality that can come to us at anytime but why are we sometimes so unwelcoming when we talk about it? In fact, I have been thinking about my previous post about death almost two years ago with a brave title that goes – Are you prepared to die? In all fairness, it was a post for All Soul's Day, so I was thinking maybe everybody had been very busy at that time to ever think about sharing their thoughts or comments or perhaps maybe my post just wasn't interesting enough. The reality of death can really be a scary thing. We don't know when or how we are going to die. We also cry when someone we love dies. We cry because we associate death to losing someone or missing someone. Never did we think about our dead if they have felt any regrets for leaving this world. Last week, we were told about a death of hubby's distant relative who once had the chance to come over ...

I got an early message from dad this morning. He said that this was the same day and time, a year ago today, when they (he and my brother) had forced open the bathroom door because mom just fell down and fainted while taking a shower. Earlier that day, he and mom were cleaning the room. It looked like an ordinary day until mom took a shower and they heard a loud noise coming from the bathroom. They immediately lifted her and rushed her back to the bedroom. There was no bleeding or a bump in the head. This incident happened in Medellin, in the northernmost part of Cebu. Our family took refuge there when dad was hired to do the job as mill shift engineer after the sugar milling in San Carlos City declared bankruptcy. I was in Mandaue working. The news just shocked me. When mom awoke, she wasn’t aware of what had happened to her but she said she had a terrible headache. She felt dizzy when she got up but had managed to go to the CR with my brother’s assistance to answer the call of nature...

nobody goes through this life without ever experiencing their "downs", not even the wealthiest of people. when i was still single, i would recall going back home with my folks everytime i feel like i needed some time off to lift my spirit ( don't get me wrong, i don't only go home when i'm troubled, i also go home to visit my family and in a happy state ). and i would always remember, it's always my mom who notices my unhappy mode and she would always try to get me to talk about it. and from there we would have a long conversation. that's what i missed about my mom. i missed our talks, her warm, caring and thoughtful ways. i guess God would understand why i still feel sad sometimes about losing her too early. i thought it was too early for her to be taken away from us. i thought she'd get to see how i've grown from a helpless lass to a mature lady and an expectant mom. i thought she'd have the chance to see my baby. but we lost her. we lost ...

are you prepared to die? this was asked by the priest during his homily today. this is not the first time that we've heard this question but almost always, this will get us to think and reflect on the way we have lived our lives. have we lived it in a way that is pleasing to God? if we know we would be facing death today, are we really prepared for it? i've been pondering on this question. i wasn't prepared to accept that mom would be leaving us last year. even when her body was no longer responding to the medicines, even when the doctor told us that the surgery can no longer be done, i was still holding on to the possibility that she will be able to make it. i wasn't prepared for her death then because everything came so fast. eventually, i had to deal with the fact that she's returned to our Creator. more than she is my mom, and dad's wife, she is God's daughter, too. we will never know how and when we are going to die. but we will all have our time. i gu...