If I…..

Who would you like to talk to soon?

All my friends whom I haven’t seen and heard of for a long time now. We do get in touch occasionally but it is different when you are physically present.

I’d like to talk to my dad and my brother too. I keep dreaming about them that they are still here with us. I remember the memories, the stories, my lovely conversations with dad, the lessons learned along the way.

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Remembering The Years

Saw this photo on my FB Memories app early this morning. Every day, I always look forward to some of my shoutouts and photos uploaded on my Facebook account since I joined the site. We had lunch at Bellini’s to celebrate Lovell’s Theology graduation.

We go back several years of friendship. We first met when I went to UST to confirm Nissa’s attendance to the Domnet Youth Festival (Dominican Youth Network) which was held in Davao City. Nissa represented the Faculty of Arts and Letters while Lovell was the representative of the College of Commerce. It was Nissa’s first plane ride out of Metro Manila.

There used to be this Friendster app which Nissa and I joined and she showed me her list of friends. I was surprised to see Lovell wearing a cassock. He entered the seminary right after college. We both majored in Economics so we always had something to talk about. He gifted me with a rosary from the Vatican blessed by the Pope. Friendster travelled to Multiply then on to Facebook.

He was finally ordained to priesthood in November 2012, same year and month that Nate was born. I remember Nissa’s wedding the year before and Lovell’s ordination as Deacon several days after. We have maintained the friendship even when he was assigned in different places. Every time he presides over masses in different churches, he always texts me for my petition. We haven’t seen each other since his Thanksgiving mass in UST in December 2012 but we regularly get in touch through texts and calls sometimes. He told me one time that I am his spiritual mother and I’m so glad that there is someone out there praying for the family especially for my health. Looking forward to his vacation so we could see each other again. Iloilo where he is assigned is quite far from Metro Manila.

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You’ve Got A Friend

I am having an LSS since this morning. James Taylor….You’ve Got A Friend, Fire And Rain. Wow, I miss listening to his songs.

Back in high school, there was this guy (he was my oldest brother’s classmate) who sang the blues and strummed his guitar like JT. Everyone, my classmates and I got a crush on him. In every joint program in school, he had the intermission number. Boys and girls were separated during our high school days so we only saw each other during joint activities. Which reminds me, today is the start of our golden celebration/grand reunion since we left our high school alma mater back in 1973. It is a week-long celebration with some schoolmates/classmates coming back home from abroad to join the scheduled activities. Some classmates asked me if I am joining. How could I? I could not leave mom alone here. They are scheduled to go out of town and enjoy the events.

Today we also celebrate the Feast Day of St. Thomas Aquinas, an Italian Dominican friar and priest, a philosopher, theologian and doctor of the Church. He is the patron saint of the University of Santo Tomas where I spent high school and college days. It is around this time when most graduates of UST have their reunions. One schoolmate told me that the grand reunion for all Thomasians will be held on Sunday.

How lovely to reminisce high school days and all because of the lyrics of one song….you just call out my name and you know wherever I am, I’ll come running to see you again.

Don’t you miss that kind of friendship during your younger years and you were just beginning to discover what a beautiful world it was because you had kind and loyal friends? And aren’t you blessed and lucky that you are still friends after all these years? I do and I am. So glad there are now social media sites where we could meet.

What a wonderful thing friendship is🥰❤💐

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Fifty Years Of Friendship

Why am I even blogging about this? It ‘s because I am always touched by gestures like this.

I met Mel during my first year in college back at the UST Main library when he was still a seminarian. He opted out and continued his course at the Arts and Letters. We’ve been friends throughout our college days. Sometimes he would wait for me at the library and let me take a jeepney ride first before going home to his dorm.

He is residing abroad now with his family. Yesterday I just greeted him a happy new year and asked him to include me in his prayers. These are the only times we communicate now, during birthdays and important seasons in the Catholic calendar. I was surprised when all of a sudden, I received a confirmation that he sent $100 to my account. He said it is just his way of sharing his blessings. This is the second time he did this. He read about my Covid journey last year and he surprised me by sending the same amount for my medications.

So grateful for this. It is the gesture that counts. We talked about my health problems and he understood everything because he is a nurse in the US. Friendship doesn’t need being together or always seeing each other. Surprises are lovely. And fifty years of friendship….so blessed🥰😘😍

I could clearly relate to this.

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Lovely, Lovely, Lovely

Imagine meeting a friend again after more than twelve years, online that is.

One of my friends Ruvie tagged me yesterday about a photo I posted twelve years ago during our reunion at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) library where I spent three years of college life as a working student. I posted it on my wall and said I miss those days with colleagues and books of course. A friend on Facebook messaged me that he knows one of the guys in the picture, they were batchmates in Naga Parochial school in Bicol.

Mon and I were both assigned at the Asian Section of the UST Main Library for almost two years. He took up an engineering course while I majored in Economics. The last time we saw each other was in the year 2010. The reunion is held every ten years but I was not able to attend the reunion last 2020 because of the pandemic. We are friends again on Facebook….haha but how lovely.

Today is the presbyteral ordination of one of my SSP friends which I was not able to attend because of my early appointment with my internist. I was looking at some photos on his wall but it was not updated yet so I visited their page called Sambuhay. It’s a page created by the Paulinian priests and brothers at Society of Saint Paul. Two years ago, two friends and I had this Sambuhay Interaktib group based on the regular program they hold every week. Imagine my surprise when I saw various blog posts I shared with the Sambuhay Interaktib posted at their own page Sambuhay. I am one of the admins of Sambuhay Interaktib so time and again I share my writings. How lovely to look back at all the reflections I shared with them.

My internist said I will be back come January 5 next year, great, I’ll have enough rest with doctor appointments and lab tests although I ‘m going to visit my ENT on Monday.

Have a nice and lovely weekend everyone😉❤️😘

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Blessed

Ver, a balikbayan friend from Canada gave me all these books this morning. He is a photographer, writer, poet, vlogger and a voracious reader. I learned from him several authors and their works. Can’t wait to read them all.

I particularly want to know how Roger Housden analyzes ten poems which include that of my favorite poet Mary Oliver, Rumi, Neruda, Naomi Shihab Nye and other writers. Finally, I have books by John O’Donohue, A Celebration of Rumi by Andrew Harvey, The Ascent of Truth by Thomas Merton (my fourth book of him) and Albert Camus’ The Outsider.

Many, many thanks Ver, so nice seeing you and exchanging news with you.

Isa ulit magandang kumustahan at pagkikita🥰😍😘

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Remembering Those First Meetings With My Religious Friends

What a mouthful of a title.

Yes I met those cute and smart seminarians when I worked as a student librarian at the UST Main Library. Since I was assigned at the Humanities Section where they frequented, I met so many of them. That was wayback in the 70s. Our Prefect at the library was a Spanish priest who is now in Korea. My fellow student librarians at the section and I were even invited to some ordinations of our friends. Some are now friends on FB.

I met Lovell for the first time when he graduated in Theology in 2008 but he was Nissa’s friend in UST during their college days. I remember him gifting me with a Vatican rosary when we met. He is now almost 10 years into the priesthood and is assigned in Iloilo down south. He is one of my prayer warriors and we get in touch from time to time. He calls me his spiritual mother.

Fr. Louie who is also a Dominican is the creator of The Filipino Catholic page on FB. When he learned that I am a friend of Lovell back in 2010, he asked me to be one of the co -admins of our page which I hold until now. The family met him for the first time when we went to Santo Domingo Church during our Visita Iglesia in 2011. He came back here after his doctorate in Rome and is now the Secretary General of UST. I met the rest of my Dominican friends then.

I met Fr. Rey when he was still a seminarian in UST. We are from the same province so we speak the same language. We lost touch after college graduation. He went to the US for further studies and came back here when he was ordained as a priest. He stayed in New York for a number of years and came home I think a couple of years ago. We are now friends on Facebook. We always have a healthy exchange of comments when it comes to politics.

I have been a friend of Fr. Pao since 2018 I think but we haven’t met personally until last Monday. I often attend his masses online. Met the rest of the Paulinians friends when we went to the wake of my friend’s mom.

Last 2014, my friends and I had a small gathering here at home, pot luck but I did most of the cooking. For the first time I personally met Fr. Tacky, a Franciscan and Fr. Boy, who is a Dominican. They came over too. That was a lovely occasion, full of laughter and food. I also met some online friends who are members of our page.

Funny how after all these years, we are still in touch, kumustahan once in a while. Like Fr. Lovell, they are my prayer warriors too.

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Meeting Friends

This morning I went to the wake of one of my friends’ mom. My Sambuhay Interaktib family met me there. Malou is also a member this group which was organized more than two years ago. These priests and seminarians of St. Paul created a program three years ago to share reflections and bond with other online people who attend the former’s online masses during the pandemic. It was a concelebrated mass of Fr. Pao and Fr. Baste assisted by Rev. Ed who delivered the homily. They go online twice a week and they have gained loyal followers.

Malou’s family took a one-week vacation (they live now in Australia) to attend their mom’s burial. Her son is also a seminarian. He took a video of the mass. I took some shots after the mass.

With Fr. Pao

Br. Russel and I

Fr. Pao, Marian (Malou’s daughter), Br. Ronel and Fr. Baste at the back.

Fr. Pao, Rev. Ed and I

Love those funny and precious moments of bonding after the mass and while we were eating lunch.

When friends meet, hearts warm❤🧡💜💙💚💛

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Another Weekend

There’s that trigger again reminding me to start another blog post. I feel so lazy. I haven’t visited WordPress in a while.

I had a conversation with a friend from Canada (there were four of us when we were in college). Grace met an accident last Easter Vigil, had multiple pelvic bones fractures surgery which was not successful so she had a hip replacement surgery. Then she got infection in her gall bladder so she went under the knife again. Among the four of us, she is the only one who was not affected by cancer. All three of us had it, the two with breast cancer and me with colon cancer. Three survivors. Grace introduced me to their parish priest who also blogs about all of his homilies. I visited his site and left a few words via e-mail. He answered, how nice.

Last January, Sr. Thea, an FMM nun, told me that she was diagnosed with lung cancer this time after several years of being free from it. I don’t know about Precy since we haven’t gotten in touch for so long now. She changed her cellphone number.

Grace told me to be gentle and allow myself to grieve. Sometimes though, I still feel so low and couldn’t think of something nice to blog about. But I read, I am on my 82nd book this year. I found a book with Japan as the background during the 15th century. Just started so I don’t know yet if it is worth-reading or not.

I was laughing finding this on my newsfeed except that I no longer use a library card. I mostly read e-books nowadays and have my virtual library at Goodreads.

Another image the words of which I find provoking but it’s true. I remember a friend who told me once that the journey to life is not always a straight path.

Have a beautiful and peaceful weekend😘☺💐🌷🎉🎈🎊

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Sad

A friend who used to be an officemate also used to visit my wall at Facebook and occasionally comment on my posts here although she is not a blogger.

These last few days, I missed her words and the inspiring comments that she usually write. I had a sudden inkling to visit her wall, there was nothing there for the last four months. I tried some friends of hers who have the same surname as she has. Probably her kids? We have some common friends at Bank of PI on Facebook but I’ve never read nor heard about Minnah.

What a sad ending when I read that she passed on last July 19. We used to talk about her having dialysis twice a week before. I told her about my dad’s plight having dialysis before he died. In our hospitals here, it is not free. I wonder if that has changed now. My dad died fourteen years ago after six months of treatment. Minnah said, it was hard to put up money for her dialysis twice a week.

When Dad died, I promised myself that I would never submit to that treatment if (God forbids)I would be in that same predicament. Imagine, they drain out your blood and put it back clean, same procedure after two or three days. All the nutrients your body absorbed in those days in between come to naught.

My dad passed away because of end stage renal disease. I have chronic UTI since I gave birth to Nissa. I haven’t been to my doctor since this pandemic started.

They always say health is wealth and I agree.

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