Monday, October 11, 2010

Pray, Eat, Eat, Love

Those four words summarized my experiences this past weekend. And it's all about relationships.


Saturday morning my wife and I were at the Lourdes church. We were here to attend the funeral mass being held for my departed cousin, Ate Meding. When we visited her last Monday at the hospital she was already in a life support system, her breast cancer sadly winning the battle for her life. Berting, her younger brother who was at the hospital at that time, told us that the family  had decided to bring Ate Meding home so that she can spend her last moments in the presence of her family. 


After the mass ended and we have said our prayers for the eternal repose of Ate Meding's soul, I mingled with my relatives, many of whom I haven't seen in about 30 years. Tiya Upeng, mother of Meding and Berting, was already in a wheelchair, and didn't even recognize me. Tiya Josing, once Dean of Psychology and Guidance Counselor at St. Theresa's College  was now bent from apparent osteoperosis yet still possessing a brilliant mind. Then there were my cousins Doris, Tessie, Ray, Beth and Berting. We are third degree cousins (our grandfathers were first cousins) but they are my closest blood relatives, aside from my own family. We all promised to meet again in "better" times to recollect and reconnect. Unfortunately Cynthia and I could not stay for the burial ceremonies because we already had a prior commitment.


And that was having lunch with our birding friends, Tina and Wency Mallari. It was supposed to be an early birthday celebration for both Wency and myself because we share the same birth date. The earlier agreement was that we will "treat" each other to lunch, but I got pre-empted by the quick-on-the-draw Wency. The Mallaris are relatively new friends, having met them only last year, but they have become quite close to us because we share the same passion for birds and bird photography. Lunch at C2 in Rockwell was elegant and delicious. I don't know about you, but for my wife and myself, having a meal with dear friends enhances the taste of food.


That evening it was another "eat" date. This time it was with Cynthia's family. Two of her daughters, Jenn (Oct. 12) and Darrell (Sep.21) decided to celebrate their birthdays together with a grand buffet at Yaki Mix in Tomas Morato. My wife's children and their families were there to enjoy the sumptuous food and joyous company. It was a Korean/Japanese style buffet where the diners grilled their food right on their own tables. Everybody, including the grandchildren, had a great time cooking different types of seafood and meat and enjoying the products of their culinary endeavours. As if that wasn't enough, we all had coffee at the Coffee Bean afterwards courtesy of Patrick, Cynthia's only son. Did I mention that food, and that includes coffee or its derivatives, tastes a lot better when you're in good company?


The following morning,  I was with my son Eumir, his mom and his fiancee. We were going to Cavite for the traditional Filipino "pamanhikan" (betrothal). Eumir and Lain were planning to get married in December and we, his parents, will be formally asking Lain's Uncle and Aunt (her father passed away two years ago and her Mom resides abroad) for her hand in marriage. Our trip to Silang, Cavite was temporarily halted by the excessive traffic we encountered at the Coastal road. There was an early morning marathon which had just ended and everybody was getting ready to leave or loiter around or filling up the scant restaurants in the area to satisfy their hunger. After about an hour we finally were on our way. The folks in Cavite were very hospitable. We had an early lunch (a reprise of good food and good company) because we needed to get back early in case we encounter another horrendous traffic situation. The pamanhikan was concluded when Lain's grandmother and matriarch of the clan, gave her blessings and prayed for the two people who love each other very much to have a happy married life. 


Unlike the movie with a similar title which was all about the main character's self indulgence, my weekend of pray, eat, eat, love was all about relationships and its importance to one's life. Life on this earth is not all about me. There are people in this world that I care about, relatives and friends, and I know that there is always joy and gladness in interacting and being with them.