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Showing posts from December, 2010

Finding Family This Christmas

Christmas when I was a child was all about tradition...the family gatherings at my grandparents whether in Manila or in Silay, the "you have to go to sleep or Santa won't come" threat after dinner, the opening of gifts and noche buena at midnight, the Christmas morning breakfast and mass, and luncheon with all the other relatives and extended families.  After my maternal grandfather died, my maternal grandmother soon after moved to Bacolod.  Although Christmas celebrations continued to be traditional, it stayed local...meaning we stopped going to Manila for the holiday season.  Then my uncle (Dad's brother) and paternal grandfather died within a month of each other.  And so, that year because my Dad's side of the family did not want to celebrate in Silay with all the memories of Christmas past, we went to Manila and Christmas Eve was spent in a hotel room near Paco Park and New Year's eve in the boat coming back to Negros. 

Bad or Good Luck?

Once in a while I do get superstitious, especially when something bad happens to things at home one after another.  I get this eerie sense that when these occur it somehow offsets a worse event from happening and I can only feel relief.  Suddenly it does not matter that over the weekend my son lost another cell-phone... that this morning, our table top Christmas tree fell again...that my expensive hair clip broke...and that the staff of the mini St. Joseph  broke after my daughter threw the small statue.  Over-all, it has been a great week and today was a very good day.  But isn't it scary when life seems almost perfect?  So when something makes my day imperfect, I always thank God that all that negative energy has been channeled to something unimportant and replaceable in my life. And that I am once again lucky and blessed.

A Wedding Godmother

On Friday, I will be a wedding godmother to someone I have known since she was a little girl.  I have seen her grow up and shared her parent's pride when she passed the CPA exams.  She has become one lovely young woman and the man she is marrying is one lucky guy! It also dawned on that I am indeed growing older...I am now often asked to be a principal sponsor...a role that is reserved for mature and respected friends and members of the family.  I guess I am pretty lucky having experienced all the roles in a wedding entourage from flower girl...to bridesmaid...to secondary sponsor...and finally principal sponsor.  The first time I was asked was a few years back when I could not say no to my father's close friend to be a godmother to his apo (grand-child) from Canada who was getting married here.  After that I would refuse  requests although I have been told that I should not turn down one but I believe that being a wedding godmother comes with much responsibility. I have been