HELLO ILLINOIS, WE FINALLY meet!!!
My Easter Reflections
My Catholic Marian high school education taught me that Easter should be the most jubilant of all the liturgical seasons. For the longest time, however, Easter to me paled in comparison with Christmas. After all, I've been living on the tropical islands of the Philippines where March and April are beyond hot--they're "pulgatorish"! On Holy Week (the days leading up to Easter), Manila is like a ghost town. People are in colder areas like Baguio and Tagaytay. Those who have a little more to spend, are beaching in Boracay, Camarines Sur, or Palawan.
On a personal level, the Holy Week has not been as friendly to me as I would have hoped. Two years ago, I was hospitalized for fainting spells on Holy Monday and was released on Black Saturday. That week I was supposed to be helping my sister prepare for her 18th birthday, which serendipitously fell on Easter Sunday that year. As it turned out, I was the one who needed some taking care of that time.
The following Easter was supposed to be a happier one until I stepped on a sea urchin on the beach fronting my uncle and aunt's unit inSubic. Again, I needed medical attention--this time two bottles of white vinegar to stop the wretched poison from spreading and some painkillers. My right foot was swollen for three weeks.
So this 2013, I vowed to have an uneventful Easter. I stayed at home for most of the Holy Week, reflecting on what God has been trying to tell me with the past two painful Lenten and Easter seasons and praying that I wouldn't encounter any more mishaps this time.
I went to confession on Holy Monday and heard early morning mass on Tuesday and Wednesday before going to work. I visited seven churches as what my family and I have been accustomed to doing for the past four Maundy Thursdays. On Holy Friday, I watched the 7 Last Words program on TV then attended a Veneration of the Cross ceremony at a nearby chapel. On Black Saturday, I ran some errands and had my gouty arthritic middle fingers checked. Boring and uneventful so far, right?
Easter Sunday finally came and true enough, God answered my prayer! It was a happy day indeed! My aunts from the States and Switzerland arrived for my cousin Julie's wedding set a few days later. (Incidentally, Julie's full name is Julie Ann Easter because she was born on Easter Monday.) The whole day, I did one of my favorite tasks in the world--cooking! That day, I made "Balikbayan" dishes Beef Kaldereta, Pininyahang Manok, Binagoongang Lechong Kawali, and fruit cocktail. When some other relatives came for dinner, I rushed up Baked Pink Cream Dory Pasta, which turned out to be the bestseller of the day.
On my bed that night after a quick call to the Love of My Life, things seemed strangely peaceful. I was alone yet not lonely. I was exhausted and yet invigorated. I was broke yet content. At that moment I realized, Easter indeed is the most jubilant!
The moment was wonderful while it lasted. By 11:00PM, my aunts and I had to rush my Lolo Manny to the Philippine Heart Center for severe chest pains. So I actually ended up in another hospital on Easter Sunday but this my friends, is another story.
To the BEAT of My Heart
Last weekend, Jonathan and I celebrated our ninth original anniversary. Original anniversary meaning the day we became boyfriend-girlfriend, or as we say in Singles for Christ, "God's Gift" (GG) to each other. In these nine years, this year's June 2nd must be the most unremarkable in the romantic sense, yet the most poignant. Contradictory, you say? Well life, I am learning, is a series of contradictions and a journey of confirmations all at the same time.
Actually, I don't think I'd ever forget the days that led to the sentimental occasion this year.
On Monday morning, we received the sad news that Jonathan's 92-year-old grandma had passed away. My father-in-law, her eldest, decided to fly to Manila from Chicago with my mother-in-law by Friday, just in time for the last day of the wake.
The days that followed consisted of visits to the funeral home, where relatives and friends caught up, shared biscuits, rice cakes, coffee, and mixed nuts, heard Holy Masses together, prayed the Rosary and sang reflection songs--the typical Filipino lamay. Although sad, most who attended the wake agreed that Nanay Justina had lived a long life and is now in a better place.
It was around 6:00 on Friday morning when I received a call from my sister-in-law Eileen. Mommy had been brought to a hospital inTaiwan because of high blood pressure and diabetes. She and Daddy had just arrived in Taiwan from Seattle and were supposed to take the Taiwan-Manila flight at 9:30am.
I immediately called my husband in Illinois. He said Mommy didn't have diabetes, but Daddy did. True enough, a few minutes later, Eileen called again to tell me it was Daddy who needed emergency care. He had passed out on the airplane and was suspected of having some type of blood poisoning. The whole day was spent calling Mommy at theTaiwan hospital; looking for a Taiwan-based contact who could help them; coordinating with the airline; and saying short, hurried, urgent prayers.
One of the blessings I recognized that day was having a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone at home. It had been a wedding gift from my boss three years ago. The BIPBox allowed me to call Taiwan for only two pesos (US$0.05) per minute. Without it, we couldn't have stayed in constant contact with my mother-in-law while they were at the Lishin/Land Seed Hospital's emergency room. We couldn't have kept in touch with the Filipino-Chinese travel executive who so kindly assisted my in-laws Friday night and Saturday morning. We couldn't have been able to call Chicago for hourly updates so easily and cheaply (at a peso or US$0.04 per minute) with good reception.
By God's grace, my father-in-law was given clearance to travel early Saturday morning. His blood pressure had gone down. His fever had subsided, and his blood tests turned out fine. They caught the 9:30am flight, arrived in Manila around noon, and went straight to the funeral home, where our relatives had been waiting since morning. Half an hour later, we drove to Heaven's Gate in Antipolo. Nanay was laid to rest while afternoon rain fell. After the solemn ceremony, surrounded by about 60 relatives who were happy to see each other despite the sad occasion, I called my husband. I handed the phone to Mommy, who assured him she and Daddy were fine. She handed it back to me chuckling, "Ayan, ayaw na niya sa akin!" (There you go, he doesn't want me anymore!) Before putting the phone down, Jonathan and I whispered "Happy anniversary…I love you," to each other.
A few hours later, at my in-laws' house in Lagro, I had a short chat with Daddy. He told me what had happened--how he felt very dizzy on the airplane and then waking up in a hospital. How he ate Chinese noodles, congee, and crabsticks so he'd have the strength to take the flight to Manila and attend his mother's funeral. Listening to the man who had raised my husband, I felt extremely grateful--that he is out of danger and that we would be able to spend time with him and Mommy in the coming few months here in Manila.
That night, just before going to bed, I called my husband again. I reported the events of the day, what went wrong and went right. I told him about his nieces and nephews, who are growing so fast and whom he misses dearly. We talked about all the blessings amidst all the trials of the days past. We laughed at the little mishaps and sighed at the small inconveniences.
As I was about to fall into much-coveted sleep later, I realized how much my love for my husband has changed since nine years ago. The song I Love You More Today Than Yesterday by the Spiral Staircase, which was played at our wedding reception, has become truer.
Miles apart, I could feel his anxiety during the whole ordeal. On one phone call, I tried my best not to cry. Jonathan was so worried he couldn't sleep. "What ifs" were swirling in his mind. I wanted to give him a hug so badly, and tell him things would turn out okay. But at that moment, I wasn't sure they would.
What I know is that I love him more deeply, less selfishly. In the years to come, I'm sure I'll find other ways of loving my first, last, and only boyfriend and I'm excited about the discovery. On the phone or off it, far away as we are from each other now, my heart has learned to beat with his.
TO THE MAN I MARRIED
on his birthday
I was really just a girl when I met you.
You amused me with your quips,
Intrigued me with your glance
Disarmed me with your tenderness
Excited me with your touch.
In you, I saw the boy
I had always wanted to know
With you, I discovered a new world
And learned to be a woman.
You romanced me in sweet, simple ways
Assured me with every caress
Encouraged me with your embrace
Strengthened me with every shared prayer
You calmed my every worry
Tamed by biggest fears
Fought with me my inner battles
And loved those I hold dear.
We're partners in everything
From dressing in silly costumes
To serving others with a passion.
On the day we became one,
God gave us perfection.
Each vow was a prayer
Every move a celebration
I know the road is not always smooth
Humps, bumps, and detours
Sometimes get in the way
But the journey is worthwhile
When we are together
Today, on your birthday
I thank you for being you
As you struggle with your roles,
Take on odd jobs,
Sacrifice your own wants,
Run the races you're meant to run,
I place my heart beside yours
For this is its home
And promise to be your woman, your lover
Your partner and biggest fan
For now and always
I, Jane am certifiably Than's
Quezon City, December 4, 2011
