I always include my beloved Lola Nating (the mother of my Mommy) and my beloved Mama Luz (the mother of my Dad) in my rosary prayers. I always include them and never forget them because they have a special role in my life when I was a child in the Philippines.
Whenever I think of my early childhood in the Philippines, it is always synonymous with memories and thoughts of Mama Luz, Lola Nating, Lolo Ciano, and my uncles and aunts and cousins.
Talking about this reminds me of something beautiful,
During this July 2008, my friends from college came to visit me and my sister and we went to my Uncle Steve's and Auntie Beth's place to have dinner one day. During the conversation there, my Uncle Steve and Auntie Beth took out pictures of Philippines during 1995 time. And Uncle Steve gave me the albums to look around; my friends were all in discussion and etc. But when I opened the albums I saw pictures of my Mama Luz.
The pictures were of her during March and April time period; which was 3-4 months before she died in July 1995. But in the pictures she was so happy, full of smile. In the pictures I could see her beautiful brown eyes, and see her beautiful red cheeks, and I can see her beautiful Leytena beauty. I just remember tears falling down my face in seeing her. Seeing her face in the pictures flooded my mind with all the memories I had as a child and being around her. I can remember the time when I was crying so hard as a child and Mama Luz would hug me and pat my back to try to soften me to stop crying. I remember her combing my hair and making me sleep. Most of all I can still see the image of her in the dinner table with my little sister Angel sitting on Mama Luz's lap. And her feeding my sister ginamos and rice and the kinds of food that Mama Luz loved to eat. haha. Beautiful memories, kaayo.
Thank God for memories. To be able to reduce a 23 year old man like myself to tears. It's a beautiful gift.
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