Hello and Goodbye...!
Goodbye...
to 2010 and to my dearest cousin Ate Maria who lost her battle to breast cancer last December 31. She was my first cousin (mother side)... a very kind, loving and soft-spoken person who lived a simple but happy life with Kuya Val and their two children Vincent and Maimai. At age 44, she is too young and too kind to die.
I have spent many fun and memorable start-of-summer holidays with her and the family in Bauang, La Union which used to be my usual holy week vacation destination. She and Kuya Val always made sure I was comfortable, always asking and giving me what I needed. Ate Maria was diagnosed with the big C in 2004 but despite the treatments went on to live her life the same way she did before the disease. They are poor - living only on Kuya Val's meager income as tricycle driver - so the past years have been a struggle for the whole family emotionally, physically and financially. The last time I saw Ate Maria was May 2007 (5 months before I left for the US) when I brought back her son Vincent after I treated him to a week-long vacation in Manila. She even gave me a bracelet with various religious figures just before i boarded the bus. I still have it with me...
I felt bad when we didn't get to visit them when we vacationed to the Philippines 2 years ago and just a couple of weeks ago we have booked our flights to Manila this February with a plan to see her a day after our arrival... but now it's too late :(
Rest in Peace Ate Maria. Thank you for showing me that happiness can be found in ordinary everyday things and that a person still has a lot to give even if he/she needs help the most.
Welcome 2011
Today is the 1st day of the 1st month of 2011 (1-1-11). It is that time of the year when we all look back and remember everything that happened to us the past year - be grateful for all the good and be thankful that we survived the bad - and welcome the new year with a positive attitude and a renewed hope for a better and brighter future. No day but today, no year but this year... so let's all go and claim it!
