unicahija

PRETTY GIRL

sa mga magulang… wala na yatang pinakamasaya sa buhay nila ang makitang natapos na ng pag-aaral ang kanyang anak. March 1998 in St Joseph School, Gem graduated in Kindergarten with an OUTSTANDING award… of course masaya ang feeling, my little GIRL did good in school. March 2004, at the same school, she graduated in Elementary as their VALEDICTORIAN… aba eh, di mas masaya di ba? in, fact her only sibling dreamed of being like her, telling me “Mommy, when i graduate in elementary i wanna be like Ate Gem.” March 2008, still at St Joseph School, Gem graduated High School as their SALUTATORIAN. As parents, wala na yatang pinakamasaya na nakikita mo na nagbubunga ang mga panahong tinuruan ko sila noong maliliit pa kung paano ang mag-aral. Si Gem, from Kinder up to High School, i’ve seen her wala siyang sinayang na oras when it comes to studying her lessons, she has proven herself. However, dumating sa punto na naaawa na ako sa kanya kasi hindi naging normal ang buhay niya during highschool kasi nga she has to maintain her grades. I made a decision that time after her high school graduation na when she enters college, pababayaan ko siyang magdecide if she still wants to continue her standing in school… being a Cum Laude, Dean’s Lister or whatever awards. she told me… gusto niyang magrelax sa pagpasok niya ng college. And it happened, sa sobrang relax yung course na pang apat na taon … natapos niya ng 5 years, so relaxing di ba?
Next week will be her graduation, ang sabi ko kay Gem, parang di yata ako sanay na magpaGRADUATE ng hindi naakyat ng stage, i will just be an audience (hehehe), and Gem only laughed.
Yesterday, i was surprised by her… she will be getting an award as having THE BEST THESIS. OMG, until the last graduation… she still made us so PROUD, huling HIRIT kung baga. GEM never stop giving us something that we can pe proud of. CONGRATULATIONs neng… Thank you sa lahat ng KARANGALAN inaakyat mo sa ating munting tahanan. MARAMING SALAMAT sa PANGINOON at sinubaybayan niya si Gem para mapunta sa tamang landas… THANK YOU PRETTY GIRL… WE LOVE YOU for always…

GOOD DEEDS made on earth

… so surprising when i saw this deposit slip. This was the deposit slip when Gerald Troy gave his donation for the victims of typhoon ONDOY that was year 2009. Troy usually watched news on TV, and when that typhoon ONDOY hit our country, Marikina had a lot number of victims. One day while watching the news about the victims, Troy asked me if he has a money in his bank account… “i said why? and here was his answer…”Mommy ipag withdraw mo ako kasi gusto kong magbigay ng tulong sa mga victims of typhoon Ondoy.” At first, i was really shock… thinking how come a boy like him at the age of 13 and he was not just an ordinary boy… he was a boy suffering from DUCHENE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY that time, still inspite of his condition, he still have a HEART to help the victims. If only everyone of us has the mind like him… if only everyone of us are willing to help the needy, isn’t it we will have a peaceful and wonderful world to live in? Gerald Troy’s attitude will always be an inspiration to me and my family. He has proven that Duchene Muscular Dystrophy patients can still help in their own little way, to have a meaningful life. MY SON…. your good deeds while you were still with us will always be remembered, and your good deeds will decide what you will be, there in HEAVEN with our LORD. We will always love you…

goodbye SON…

my dearest TROY… it’s been a year since you left us. After you left,  i kept on wondering bakit sa atin nangyari ang lahat ng ito. I’m not saying GOD is unfair, of course not, HE always has a reason. Sabi nga God always answer prayers but if he delays… He has a reason for it. At sino man sa atin hindi ito pwedeng tanungin… WHY? ang sa atin, we should learn how to accept kung anong ibigay ni Lord sa atin. Kaya nga daw ibinigay ito sa atin dahil kaya natin ‘to. Actually, kaya naman talaga natin, from the start we found your disease and up to the last minute of your life, nakaya natin. OUR DEAR TROY you will always be in our heart.  After one year… i guess this is the time Dad, Mom and Ate should move on, it’s time for us to let YOU go. But letting You go doesn’t mean we’re over, doesnt mean mawawala ka sa aming puso at isipan. As i keep on saying lagi kang nasa puso namin. Kaya lang kung kami ang magiging dahilan para di ka magiging tahimik sa piling ni LORD, my dear SON, gagawin namin ang dapat gawin for You to be happy sa piling ng Panginoon. Okey, son, don’t worry about us… we’re moving on… Walang katapusang pasasalamat anak sa mga Karangalan ibinigay mo sa amin when you were still with us. YOU will always be our inspiration sa tatahakin pa naming buhay. Salamat sa patuloy mong pagsubaybay sa amin, dahil dama ko sa bawat hiling ko, lagi mo itong pinagbibigyan. Damang-dama ko na di mo kami pinababayaan. Thank you so much, we’re giving you your  FREEDOM WE LOVE YOU TROY… GOODLUCK sa tatahakin mo sa piling ni BRO… BE HAPPY….

TROY’s 1st BIRTHDAY in HEAVEN (May 28, 2011)

15 yrs old na sana si Troy… nakakamiss si Troy sa mga occassion na ganito, excited si Troy lagi sa mga bawat special   day niya kaya we did our best ngayong birthday niya. Kahit na hindi na namin siya kasama ipinag celebrate din naman namin siya w/ his classmates and friends, and some relatives na nakaalalang dumalaw sa kanyang puntod. I know Troy is happy this day because he always wanted to celebrate his birthday w/ them. Sa ganitong paraan, ipinadama namin sa kanya na he is never out of our HEART. Kahit sa mga darating na panahon, lahat ng nakakapagpasaya sa kanya noong kasama pa namin siya ay patuloy naming gagawin para sa kanya for him to feel that HE IS ALWAYS IN OUR HEART habang-buhay.

Sa mga nakasama namin ng araw na ito, we thank you a lot for spending time w/ us , sa mga relatives namin, especially to his friends who were there,  walang katapusang pasasalamat sa hindi ninyo paglimot kay Troy. Sa brother ko, TITOY, thank you for celebrating Troy’s birthday w/ BOORJEEZY, for years lagi mong binibigyan si Troy ng celebration na swimming, at kahit wala na siya… still… you want to continue the same celebration… thank you once more. To Inay Kikay and Ate Flor maraming salamat po.

At sa mga friends and relatives who changed their profile pictures in facebook with TROY’s photo… i’m so TOUCHED for your way of showing love for my son…. you made Troy very happy …

Mother’s Day (may 8, 2011)

sa isang ina wala ng pinakamasaya sa kanya na maalala siya ng kanyang mga mahal sa buhay. Si Gem, ibang klaseng magpakita ng pagmamahal yan… kakaiba….

a few days before mother’s day sabi ko sa kanya, “gem mother’s day na pala sa sunday”. Reply niya, “ha? sa sunday? (it seems hindi ata siya handa sa araw na iyon). Last friday we decided to watch the movie PAK PAK MY DR KWAK, medyo napaaga kami so we decided na mag-ikot muna kami sa SM dept store… nakakita kami ng unan  and it was written there THE BEST MOM, sabi niya, “mommy gusto mo ng unan na iyon?, i replied oo naman”. Sabi niya, “sige bibilhin ko na yun para sa iyo, pero bayaran mo muna ha kasi wala akong dalang pera” (ngek), ayos din naman ang diskarte ng batang ito, at wala akong nagawa, binigyan ko siya ng pera, naisip ko na lang kwelang magmahal talaga siya. At eto na nga mother’s day na… after waking up binigay ni Gem ang gift nilang mag-ama, yun bang tipong wala akong alam sa unan na yun, she said, “mommy eto na ang gift namin sa yo ha” … ang nasabi ko,..” ah, naku thank you ha, pero di pa bayad ang ibinili mo nito anak”. At humagalpak lang siya ng tawa at may promise pa na ganito ” may kasama yang cake kaso di pa ako nabili kasi di pa ako binibigyan ni daddy ng pera… how thoughtful naman. At dumaan ang maghapon, nagluto ako, naghugas ako ng pinggan na pinagkainan nilang mag-ama at naglaba ako habang nanonood ng tv ang daddy at ang anak ko ay naggigitara. Naisip ko… i thought IT’s MY DAY?

nagvisit kami sa puntod ni Troy… sabi ni Gem…” parang di na ako makakabili ng cake mommy wala na daw pera si daddy”, sobrang honest yang anak ko na yan. Habang papunta na kami sa Balagtas sa mga in-laws ko, dumaan kami sa tindahan at bumili ng lechon manok, bumili ng ice cream at bumili rin ng cake si daddy. Meaning, natupad din naman ang mga pinangako niya, pero ibang klase talagang magmahal ang pamilya ko ano… sobrang mapagpatawa lang ang mag-amang iyan.

may isang bagay akong hinhanap sa araw na ito… hindi kumpleto… first time kong magcelebrate ng mother’s day na wala si TROY. Sobrang lungkot ang araw ko na ito, it’s not the same mother’s day as i had before. si Troy, full of surprises yan, basta araw ko laging meron siyang gagawin to make me happy on that special day. Wala ng sasakit pa sa puso ng isang ina ang mawalay sa iyo at marealize mo na your child is not for you. Again, i know and i understand everything has a purpose in the eyes of our LORD, hindi lang talaga maalis sa isip at puso ko ang sadness kapag may special na araw na ganito. Habang tumatagal… mas lalong sumasakit…

however… it doesn’t mean hindi ako naging masaya ngayong araw na ito… dama ko naman ang pagmamahal ni daddy at ni Gem… and i’m thankful for having them… they tried their best… and their best was good enough… it made my day…

music to my ears…..

i really love music, luckily i can express my my love for music by singing, i was blessed having a good voice, my family from my dad, my mom, my 5 brothers are all good in singing, and my husband was a good singer in his own right. when i have my two kids, i was that expecting my 2 kids will be a good singer, too… they’re both shy to do this thing that i love so much. I easily accepted the fact that they were not born just like  their mom and dad. I was not a desperate MOM just because of that because my two kids excel in the field they’ve chosen and because of  that me and my husband are proud of them. Just a few months ago, maybe around november… GEM decided to have her GUITAR lesson w/ Tito Nash as her tutor. At first i was worried or i doubt if she can do it, because i know she doesn’t sing when she was a kid and i never saw her interest in music, in fact when she was in Grade 1,  i enrolled her in Piano lesson but after her 3 lessons she quit. I was a MOM who never insists my child to learn something that is aside from academic lessons, she can freely choose what her  interests are. Going back to guitar lesson… even when we bought her new guitar, i was really nervous and i said to myself “sayang ang ibinayad niya sa guitar niya baka mag quit din siya like her piano lesson”. After 4 months of her guitar lesson…whew… i was really surprised… she can strum the guitar on her own, and she even can play a lot of songs now in her own. Every night she plays her guitar i can tell now, I’M SO PROUD OF HER . I never, never dreamed that one day i will end up my day listening to songs of my kids. As a proud MOM every songs she plays are all MUSIC NOT ONLY TO MY EARS… but also MUSIC TO MY HEART. Gem may not be the perfect ONE but because of her effort somehow… she succeed this time.Good luck and more power GIRL…

WAITING….

ano bang mas mabuti? ang MAG-INTAY o IKAW ANG ANTAYIN?  ganito yun ha… dahil sa ayaw mong magalit ang katagpo mo, you will try your best to arrive a little bit earlier sa oras na napagkasunduan ninyo. But the problem is… malamang na ikaw ang mag-intay sa meeting place ng kausap mo. Mahirap din naman na mag-intay di ba? The 2nd situation, dahil ayaw mong mag-intay… you will decide to arrive a little bit late sa usapan ninyo, pero di ba nakakahiya na ikaw ay inaantay ng katagpo mo?… so.. we better BE ON TIME… that i think is the only solution. But… pano kung di mo sinasadya na napaaga ka sa tagpuan ninyo?… walang traffic, natapos ka ng maaga sa preparation mo.. the result… napaaga ka. It’s so hard for us to keep waiting or somebody waits for you… parehong nakakairita.

Siguro… the best way… lumakad ng mag-isa… if you have something to do or a place to go… be on yourself na lang ng walang naaabala at di ka nakakaabala….

40th Ruby Jubilee St. Joseph School

we attended the 40th anniversary dinner party of St Joseph School…it was nice to see some familiar faces… teachers who are still there,parents during the time when Gem and Troy were still there, the same admin staff. There were little changes on their rooms but generally yun pa rin nman ang structures ng school. Upon entering the gate… medyo felt sad… i miss those days when during lunch i was there feeding Troy… i also missed those kids who were playing at the quadrangle and missed those parents i usually talked with and have tsismisan. Loida Ariate was there a co-parent but other parents were not invited because the school was not prepared for a large number of guests. Anyway, nice to see that St Joseph School is still surviving in spite of a lot of schools are now building their names in education. CONGRATULATIONs…. and more power to St Joseph..

september 9, 2010… do i need to celebrate????

by Genelyn Borja Ciolo on Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 8:35am

Actually… really don’t know how to start my day right knowing it’s my 47th birthday.  Kahit magpretend ako na excited ako for this day… lumalabas pa rin yung totoong feelings ko right now. It’s my first birthday troy is not with ME… ang laking kulang ng mga bati niya sa kin for this day… still hoping to hear from him…to receive his smile, kiss and warm embrace…but i know it’s too impossible… and that’s the reason why my heart ache so much. Pano nga ba maaalis ang pain na iniwan mo troy? everyday of my life di ka nawawala sa puso ni mommy… in everything i do lagi ko pa rin naiiisip and kapakanan mo…like “eto ang gusto ni troy… eto ang dapat para kay troy… eto dapat kc d2 masaya c troy….” everything na maging decision ko sa anumang bagay iniisip ko kelanagan yung alam ko n dapat e aprub ni troy. Masama b yun? na sa bawat araw e siya ang iniisip ko? i know i have to move on… i understand everything has a reason and GOD has always a reason… and i never doubt GOD’s plan for us… but the pain will always be here in my heart habang nabubuhay ako. But what is nice sa buhay ko ngayon…. i have GEM…. she knows how to cheer me up, she knows her responsibility, and she’s getting mature now… she’s always on my side… she’s helping to be okey… kahit alam nia i will never be okey… but her efforts to cheer me will always be appreciated… and ang pagwatch sa grammars ko when i’m writing… ahhh…. grabe sa pagbabantay….hehehe… and of course…GERRY is always there to support the two of us…. thankful ako i have him…. his efforts para mapaganda ang libingan ni troy is always appreciated… yun n lang siguro ang kapalit ng pag iintindi niya nuon kay troy… ngayon  gusto nia everything is okey sa libingan. THANK YOU LORD FOR EVERYTHING….

IN ADMIRATION OF YOU, MY SON

(By: Andrea Adaire Fischer)

If someone were to ask me

what has been my biggest

accomplishment in life,

I would lift my head high

and speak from my heart

with a parent’s pride

as I spoke the words

“my son.”

I would speak about the good fortune

and blessing of having a son

who spreads happiness and comfort

to all who cross his path;

a son who put the concerns of others

ahead of his own;

a son who has grown from

an enchanting young boy

into a compassionate, courageous man;

a son who has grown up knowing

the value of respect

and who has earned the admiration

of those who know him.

You have so many wonderful qualities

that my words to describe them

would be endless —

much like my pride in you.

You have given so much joy

to our life,

and i am overcome with feelings

of my tranquillity

whenever I think about who and what

you’ve become.

You are our biggest and greatest

accomplishment.

You have given my life more meaning

and happiness

than you could ever know.

We love you….