All Soul's Day..

October 31 is already declared a holiday here in the Philippines in preparation for the celebration of All Soul's Day on November 1.

Every year, my family would gather at Oro Gardens because it's where my late father was laid to rest. I can't believe that it had been more than 10 years since he passed away. I miss my dad but life has to go on.

I am planning to go to the cemetery late afternoon of November 1. I think it's not hot at that time but I hope it will not rain also. My hubby will come with me and so are my 2 kids. My mom, my brother and sister in law will be there so that makes only 8 of us. I hope my brother in Manila and his family can come home to visit but if not, I guess we will be seeing each other on Christmas Day.

So far, this is my plan for November 1...

Great Site To Shop

Thank goodness for online shopping for I can easily browse some items that are unique and I can also have it personalized. If you are looking for gift items for your dad or hubby, you can shop here. There are so many nice items I've seen in this site like the shirts, mugs, frames, decorative, etc. You can visit their site to see for other items that you might find it interesting!

Remembering My Dad

Last February 19, 2011 was my dad's 10th death anniversary. It seems like yesterday since I last saw him. Of course I still miss him but I know life must go on and I know that he's in a better place right now. My dad died of cancer (maxillary fibrosarcoma) and I can't help but wonder how life would turn out to be if he was still alive. He had never seen all his children got married and never had the chance to see his grandchildren... But that's life ~ it's unpredictable.

My mom, my brother, my sister in law and us went to Oro Gardens to visit the grave. My aunt and her grandsons were there, too, and we hired a prayer leader to pray with us. It was a nice family gathering. We only missed my other brother and his family for they were in Manila already. And after visiting the gardens, we went to the mall and had lunch in there. Sharing to you below the pictures taken on that day:

Me and my baby girl Zoe


My Girls ~ Chloe and Zoe


My family. Despite the heat, baby Zoe showed her megawatt smile :D


Beside my brother's yellow car =)


My family at Oro Gardens


My little girls having a good time at home

40th Anniversary

If my dad were still alive today, it would have been his and my mom's 40th wedding anniversary. But he passed away almost 10 years ago. It would've been great to see my parents renewed their vows and we, their children and grandchildren, witness their pledge of love. Despite my dad's absence, I greeted my mom a happy wedding anniversary. I'm sure my mom missed him but life goes on. We're just too glad that my mom's still around with us...

Dance with my Father

"If I could get another chance
Another walk, another dance with him
I'd play a song that would never ever end
How I'd love love love to dance with my father again"

I'm not really a sentimental type of person, I don't even cry watching some tear-jerking movies. But there's only one thing that usually breaks my heart - a scene involving a father and a child (a daughter, most especially).

Last Saturday, we attended my cousin's wedding. My husband and I were cord sponsors, Chloe was a flower girl and my mom was a principal sponsor. During their program, my cousin danced with her father with a very beautiful background music that I can't help but got me teary-eyed. The music played was so touching that it somehow broke my heart. I was not able to dance with my father because he already passed away a year before. My last dance with my dad was when I was 18 years old - it was my debut.

Seated beside me at the reception was also another cousin of mine, and my aunt, and we were teasing each other because they were crying, too, haha! Anyway, I was very happy for my cousin because she was happy to see all her loved ones present on her big day.

I researched at the net the next day about that song played at the wedding and I found it! The title was Dance with My Father sang by Luther Vandross. I'm sharing with you the video and the lyrics (and our some of our pics, too) and I insist that you see & listen to the music. You can see some famous personalities in this video, too. The music is really beautiful and the message is so meaningful.

Wedding pic together with the bridal entourage

My Big smile :) & with Chloe (my husband took pics of us)

How Long?

I cried not because I lose you,
I cried because I’ll be missing you.
You may have gone somewhere
But I know in God’s time
we’ll see each other again
our paths shall cross again
hold our hands and never part
embrace so tight like there’s no end.

But when that time comes
will you still know me?
will you still remember my name
and recognize my face?
will you still run your fingers on my hair?
will you say you love me still
like the last time I hear you say
before you left?

I can’t believe you’re already there and I’m still here…
How long will I wait to see you?
How long will I live to be with you?
I know I shall wait,
I know I shall be patient.
In His time it shall happen
It may not be today or tomorrow
But in His time, I shall wait.
I hope it’ll be soon.

A poem for my dad
3/5/01 4:12 p.m.

Remembering Dad on Father's Day

It’s been 7 years since my dad passed away. But it seems it was just yesterday since I last saw him. He died of cancer. It was a terrible ordeal not just for him but for us, his family, too. He was 51 years old. He would have turned 52 July that year had he not passed away in February. Yeah, he was still young. It was supposedly the peak year of his life. He never even saw me and my brothers got married. He did not even see his granddaughter born. He retired from his work after 30 years because he got this Big C. Too bad! He worked his ass out just to get sick. It was so unfair….But who said life is fair anyway?

My dad was a great man. He was a great dad. Being the youngest and only girl in our family, I was tagged as Daddy’s girl. But for me, in my eyes, he cared a lot not only for me but for my brods as well. Among the 3 of us, I was very vocal to say what I wanted to say to him. And being the only girl, and youngest, too, of course he was extra cautious in everything that I do or might happen to me. Unlike my brothers, he felt that they could take care of themselves or they have nothing to lose or some kind to that effect…

One time, I had issues about myself. I can’t seem to recall what transpired then. I remember I was too depressed and when I talked to him over the phone, I was wailing over some nonsense issues, sobbing and crying my heart out. Not thoroughly comforted, I drank the whole grande of pilsen beer. My brothers were actually arguing the following day of who drank the whole thing, and neither of them admitted that they had it. And neither of them believed that I did it, too, hehe. Anyway, when my dad traveled back home, he gave to me his acoustic guitar to keep me company. He told me to take good care of it and just play it when I feel lonely. Until now, the guitar’s with me and even the strings were not replaced yet. I do use it not only when I feel down but even when I’m in good mood.

There were so many wonderful things to say about him. But meantime, I’ll just say a little. It’s father’s day and I want to give extra thought of him on this very special day. And I would like to share to you the one of the poems I made for him when he died titled "How Long?" I'll just publish the rest soon...