Getting There

A smile

a handshake

a hug

an embrace

making up for the lost years.

Time stood still for a moment

and memories are reborn.

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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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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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Happy 9th Sacerdotal Anniversary

I texted Fr. Lovell early this morning to greet him on his 9th priestly anniversary ordination. Wow, we haven’t seen each other since I attended his first Thanksgiving mass after his ordination. That was nine years ago too. He is just too busy juggling between his masteral studies, office work and his priestly ministry. Yeah, he said that we haven’t seen each other for a long time. Every time he presides over special masses, I always get a text that he is offering his mass for the family too. So glad to have a prayer warrior.

It is hard to be a priest. They are humans like us. There is that big responsibility they carry on their shoulders. Much as we need prayers, they need them more.

I found this picture of us together during his ordination nine years ago.

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Morning Thoughts

Someday perhaps we will meet each other again,

We’ll sit by the fire and reminisce

Those lovely days of old while drinking hot cups of coffee.

We’ll laugh how it was then,

The innocence of youth,

How insecured we were.

Trying to find that elusive thing – happiness.

We’ve gone a long way now,

Counting the grays in our hair

But the essence of friendship remains.

Ah, it is beautiful🌻

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Those Days

Do you remember?

The shy “hi” and “hello”

The hesitant smiles.

Then came the laughter

Listening to each other’s stories in between.

Crying on your shoulder,

And hearing those comforting words.

When friendship blooms,

Life alters.

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Today

culled from the net

“What day is it?” asked Pooh.
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.”
― A.A. Milne

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