gone

i was drafting two blog entries yesterday in my head.  one, a funny anecdote about julla.  the other, a reflection on my being the most imperfect mother.  but i have to leave them on the dashboard for now.

my dad's younger brother passed away last night at 11:50pm.  a day after father's day.  two days before his sister's 1st death anniversary.  on my parents' 41st wedding anniversary.

it was inevitable.  colon cancer.  two weeks ago, his daughter came home from the states and we think he got better while she was here.  that was the last time i saw him.

i grieve with my cousins for the loss of their dad.  i was never really that close to him.  technically, he's my godfather because his wife is officially my baptismal and wedding godmother but i was never really close to him.  but when i was very young, i remember he would always tease me in some way that i didn't quite appreciate.  his family and my dad's family, being the only ones living in manila while the rest of his brothers and sisters are in bataan and the states, always got together when us kids were very young.  

into adulthood, i drifted away.  what with my work, my married life and concentration on my own family, it became seldom that i got to see or talk to him and my cousins.  but the times we do get together -- birthdays, weddings, funerals, i always felt the bond among us.   through the last eight weeks of uncle's , i felt it even more.  that blood is indeed thicker than water.  that no matter what i do, where i go, we are connected in some divine way.  that we still care for each other.  that despite everything we've been through, we will always be there for each other.  like right now.

you may not believe it, tiong roging, but i will truly miss you.  R.I.P.

"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful.
It's the transition that's troublesome."

-- Jimi Hendrix