September First – Family
Today, we were up before 6AM to make it to the morning service held in honor of my late Lola, Maggie Somebang.
Though the mass was held at 630 in the morning, there were still quite a number of people in attendance, mostly relatives and close family friends. We served breakfast right after the service, and my aunt made delicious carrot muffins to go with the usual breakfast fare of longganiza, scrambled eggs, and corned beef with potatoes and peas.
September 1st 2008 marks the fourth anniversary of her journey to heaven. It has been four years since our lives were drastically changed. Four years since. Somehow, I can say it is a bit better now, compared to the year after.
After breakfast, Alfred went home while I paid my cousin Ton a visit. She had an operation to remove a myoma and a cyst on her ovary (which is thankfully benign – a chocolate cyst). We stayed there for hours, talking about many things concerning the family. Caring for her was her girlfriend Margie, with me visiting is another cousin, Candy, and our niece Dalnes. I haven’t been hanging out with any of them in a long time. So being there in the hospital was a good time to spend the rest of the morning.
By 1PM, her doctor finally came back and gave clearance for her to finally go home, four days after the operation. She had been worried about the cost of her extended stay there, so she was relieved to be finally able to leave. I didn’t wait until she was actually discharged though, Dal and I left Candy and Margie to assist the patient.
Sometimes I can’t help but think how different times are now. I wonder how things would be different, specially in the lives of some of my nieces/nephews.
Lola, I know you’re up there, preparing the house in which we all would again be spending time with you. Some of us need your support more than others; I know you are there when they need to make crucial life decisions. I hope that when you look down through the clouds, you see us and feel proud, or at least happy with the paths we’ve taken. You are remembered and loved. Always.
