#Grateful

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

 - Mark Twain

The birthday cake given by my bears (Ryan and the kids)

I never denied my age. When people ask me how old I am, I proudly say 36! (37 starting today). 

It's common for everyone to look back at the previous year every time we celebrate our birthdays. Looking back at my 36th year, I finally realized that I am not really ready to grow old. Well I have accepted that the fine lines on my face, the white hair, the occasional pain on the knee and back are all normal. After all, some people my age look worse than I am. Hehe! But there were some events this year that hit me so hard. 

• Ninang sa Kasal. Two couples asked as to be godparents for their wedding. We felt honored but I cringed when I received the the invitations. Ninang sa binyag ok pa, pero sa kasal??? Ganun na ba ako katanda? I hope these couples chose us because they look up at our relationship as model of what that they want to become. And not because find us old enough to be their ninong and ninang.
• Tita Joann. I asked a young mother to call me Ate Joann instead of Tita Joann. She has two kids. If she calls me Tita, then her kids will call me Lola. Nakakaloka!
• Mama and Papa Getting Sick. Hazel and her family are waiting the approval of their application for immigration to Canada. Pinky and her family are residing in Qatar. Gemma is a permanent resident in Australia. By default I am going to take care of our parents. I got worried when Mama complained of pain in her feet. The doctor said the condition happens as a person ages. I am not ready if worse things will happen to them.
• Rap and Raine entering puberty. I got sad when Rap got circumcised. I shed a tear when I was shopping for Raine's intimate apparel. This was the hardest to accept. I have admitted that I am getting old but it is very difficult for me to accept that the kids are getting old. (Shedding a tear right now). I know this situation will eventually come but I feel it was too soon. Ryan is taking it well but it is tough for me. I wish the bears could be babies forever.

Despite of these occasions, I am still very grateful. There were moments I felt low, but over-all it was a good year. Raphael and Loraine are doing good in school. Karina's milestones are way ahead her age. Ryan and I are going strong. We are quite secure.I could honestly say that I am happy and at peace.

I just wish I could sleep longer. I am missing the days when I could wake up with the sun so high in the sky. I also hope we can schedule a family trip. Ryan and I are always on superhero mode, and the list of villains are endless. So there's not much time to relax. 

http://staffordlakay.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html

Thank you to every one who made my 37 years of journey worth remembering and sharing. Love! Joy! Peace! to all! 

Live life to the fullest! J

Cheers,

Jong* 

 

Serendipity

On this day 13 years ago, Ryan and I officially became a couple. Around this same time, I finally agreed to be his girlfriend (after a condition we still laugh about). So in celebration of this day, I would like to share the piece I contributed to Bo Sanchez' 40 Stories of Finding Your One True Love (Inspiring Short Stories of Real People Who Found Lasting Love). It was published in 2010, so I am revising the ending to fit our present situation.

HOW SERENDIPITY  STEPPED IN

"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope."   -  Jeremiah 29:11

 Serendipity is defined as the gift of finding valuable things not sought. Is it possible?

I suppose it is.

My one true love and I first met on October 18, 2001 at the lobby of my present company's head office. We both had a job interview that day. Both nervous and anxious, we just smiled at each other. All I had in mind was getting the job. He told me later that he somewhat found me interesting.

It took four months before I got the job. Within those four months, I got into a relationship. I thought my boyfriend was the person I had been waiting for. We had great times together, we laughed a lot, and we were so in love. But getting the job required me to relocate. Back in 2002, cellular phones were unknown in the place where I was assigned. This made it difficult for my boyfriend and me to keep in touch.

One afternoon in March, I saw Ryan - the guy I met at the lobby. We made some small talk and I learned that he got into the company earlier than I did, and that he was with the engineering department. I didn't give him much attention then, but I couldn't forget his reaction when we saw each other there. Star-struck is the word for it I believe.

One day, Ryan and I happened to ride the same jeepney. I was going to visit a friend and I told him he should meet her, and that she was also single like him. Somebody commented while we were talking that we might end up with each other. I found that very silly, but unknown to either of us, it was destined to happen.

My boyfriend eventually decided to end our relationship because he was happier with someone else. I cried buckets of tears. My office mates told me to forget the guy and offered comfort by saying that they would set me up with one of the new employees. This new employee turned out to be Ryan.

11 years after... top photo was our first official couple picture and bottom photo was taken two years ago

Ryan and I started going out as friends. And because he was a housemate of a coworker in my department, we often hang out together. He was very smart, sweet and had loads of sense of humor. Suddenly, one day we felt that friendship was not enough. Two months after my boyfriend broke up with me,  Ryan and I became a couple (That's June 2! J). And two years after that, we got married.

We now have three kids, whom we fondly call as our bears. Our eldest is Raphael. He got his daddy's good looks and towering height, and he loves anything that has wheels. Loraine is my mini-me, my stylist and my fashion adviser. I see so much of myself in her, except that she is more creative. And my baby bear is Karina, our Miss Congeniality. Though very young, she now has followers who love her bubbly personality. *


Our thirteen years together was not always smooth, there was a time when we almost gave up on each other. But I wouldn't trade the wonderful memories we created together with anything in this world. *

I guess true love is not about finding the right person, but creating the right relationship. It's not about how much you have in the beginning but how much love you you build until the end.

With our bears during our most recent family date

* Revised to the current writing.

The Elegant Me

Stories of my Life

Jose Marti, the renowned poet and writer who led the Cuban independence movement, once said that there are three things every person should do in his or her life -- "plant a tree, have a son and write a book."

I have already planted a number of trees, fruit bearing and non-fruit bearing. In 2004, God gifted us with our first born... a son. And two other girls followed. 

Now, I only have one thing left to do, write a book. 

I've written a number of articles, some of them published in local papers and I was a contributing writer to Bo Sanchez' best selling book "40 Stories of Finding Your One True Love". But I don't think I would be able to write my own book. Even if I do, I don't think I'd be able to find a publisher. So writing a blog is the closest I could get to having the "written by" thing. I had a diary when I was younger, but a blog allows me to be more creative with the lay-out.

Life is a journey... and every journey unfolds a story worth writing and reading. This is my life and my journey, thus I get to write the story as I please. I hope you'll have fun reading my stories, I welcome comments and reviews.

Live life to the fullest!!!

My pen and my paper

Cheers,

Jong*