April 1, popularly known as April Fools' Day, would never mean the same to me again. Although I don't join the pranksters in their merry-making and fooling around, I make it a point to give myself a break and allow myself to guffaw or laugh hysterically like a hyena gone loose. The thought of waking up to tragic news on that Palm Sunday morning was enough to make me cry as if my tears could resurrect the dead.
That morning, we were all prepared for the worse. Dad went to Tuguegarao ahead of us because my grandma suffered a stroke exactly the Sunday before Palm Sunday. As witnesses have told us, my grandma was seated at the first pew of the cathedral when she suddenly couldn't move and fell to the ground as parishioners were all gathered to hear Sunday mass.
My grandma's well-known for believing in the power of prayer. To her, it's our direct line to God. She reminded us constantly never to go to bed without saying our prayers and every time the clock struck three in the afternoon, she would call her precious grandchildren and beloved children to pray the 3 o' clock habit with her. These simple character traits will forever be part of her legacy and a habit I wish we'll continue to do and teach our kids someday.
Another favorite pastime of our grandma was to play card games, especially Solitaire, Pusoy Dos and Tong-its. She would play with anyone who challenges her and she becomes quite competitive when she sees a novice play better than her. I used to think it was wrong of her to teach us these games but they're not so bad after all. It's when you include betting and gambling in the picture; that's when it becomes ugly.
People have recently argued with me that among my dad's kids, I'm her favorite grandchild. I strongly oppose the notion that I AM her favorite. If grandparents favor a single grandchild more than he does the rest of his grandkids, it's not nice. I really refuse to see any of my grandparents favoring one of us more than the others. It's actually a greedy and selfish thought.
Holy Week 2012 was spent praying, trying to conceal our grief by humoring ourselves and by reconnecting with cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces whom you don't normally see every summer. Our grandma's departing brought forth a huge number of people who love her dearly and would find it hard not to miss her every now and then.
How do you compose a eulogy for someone who was gone too soon? How can we bring ourselves to see that death is not the end but the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of our dearly departed? Excuse me, devout Catholics. I don't believe my grandparents' souls are in purgatory nor do I believe in limbo and the cantos of hell. Don't you think the Catholic Church has been brainwashing you?
When it's time for us to leave Earth, our temporary shelter in the universe, we aren't prepared. No one can really say they are. Death doesn't announce its arrival. It doesn't show signs of coming and going. Its mystery is the beauty that mystifies and lets us imagine how God's Heavenly kingdom looks and feels like so when someone in your family dies, do not cry. Rejoice and praise God for He gave us the luxury of spending quality time and allowed us to build lasting memories with unforgettable people.
That morning, we were all prepared for the worse. Dad went to Tuguegarao ahead of us because my grandma suffered a stroke exactly the Sunday before Palm Sunday. As witnesses have told us, my grandma was seated at the first pew of the cathedral when she suddenly couldn't move and fell to the ground as parishioners were all gathered to hear Sunday mass.
My grandma's well-known for believing in the power of prayer. To her, it's our direct line to God. She reminded us constantly never to go to bed without saying our prayers and every time the clock struck three in the afternoon, she would call her precious grandchildren and beloved children to pray the 3 o' clock habit with her. These simple character traits will forever be part of her legacy and a habit I wish we'll continue to do and teach our kids someday.
Another favorite pastime of our grandma was to play card games, especially Solitaire, Pusoy Dos and Tong-its. She would play with anyone who challenges her and she becomes quite competitive when she sees a novice play better than her. I used to think it was wrong of her to teach us these games but they're not so bad after all. It's when you include betting and gambling in the picture; that's when it becomes ugly.
People have recently argued with me that among my dad's kids, I'm her favorite grandchild. I strongly oppose the notion that I AM her favorite. If grandparents favor a single grandchild more than he does the rest of his grandkids, it's not nice. I really refuse to see any of my grandparents favoring one of us more than the others. It's actually a greedy and selfish thought.
Holy Week 2012 was spent praying, trying to conceal our grief by humoring ourselves and by reconnecting with cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces whom you don't normally see every summer. Our grandma's departing brought forth a huge number of people who love her dearly and would find it hard not to miss her every now and then.
How do you compose a eulogy for someone who was gone too soon? How can we bring ourselves to see that death is not the end but the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of our dearly departed? Excuse me, devout Catholics. I don't believe my grandparents' souls are in purgatory nor do I believe in limbo and the cantos of hell. Don't you think the Catholic Church has been brainwashing you?
When it's time for us to leave Earth, our temporary shelter in the universe, we aren't prepared. No one can really say they are. Death doesn't announce its arrival. It doesn't show signs of coming and going. Its mystery is the beauty that mystifies and lets us imagine how God's Heavenly kingdom looks and feels like so when someone in your family dies, do not cry. Rejoice and praise God for He gave us the luxury of spending quality time and allowed us to build lasting memories with unforgettable people.
