I spend my Lenten holidays in the province and it was a memorable vacation.
I thought most vacationers will be leaving the metro by Wednesday but to my surprise most left on Holy Thursday. So the expected empty bus station turned into a nightmare. I fall in line for nearly an hour just to get a ticket without a bus ready to go. Buses were stranded in the provinces according to the dispatcher. As much as I want to sit down and enjoy the wait, I was in hell waiting for someone to vacate their seats. I forgot to tell you that I left home by about 3:50 am and arrived at the bus station around 4:00. While waiting in the station I was able to glimpse at two familiar faces. My old “kosa” in the high school seminary CAS (Castelo) and Japa (John Paul). We had nicknames back then in the seminary and those nicknames has their own story. Mine was ‘Ju” but that will be discuss in another blog (it's quite to long to explain).We said our hellos and we catch up with our lives. Cas took up Philosophy and continued to Law school. He is currently reviewing for the Bar exams (Goodluck Kosa!!). Japa on the other hand is doing well in his business, selling drugs, guns, and the usual stuff (he’s just kidding, he’s always this funny). After waiting for nearly 3 hours my bus finally came and off I go to my home sweet home.
I arrived home at 4:00 pm (imagined how long have I been in the road). I saw my mom and siblings and cousins and they asked how long have I been on the road and to their disbelief they calculated that I was traveling for nearly 12 hours. It was already late thus action came on the next day. On Friday I woke up early around 5:05 am. I started jogging because of health reasons. So I made my round around Dulag. I was expecting it to finish it in an hour but to my surprise it only took me nearly 15 minutes. The whole day was dedicated for cleaning the house and in the afternoon I joint all Catholics in commemorating the death of our Lord.
On Saturday I still jog and continued my cleaning. In the afternoon, I decided to clean our backyard. While cleaning and replacing the old trash can my mom talked to me. She told me that I came home to have a vacation but all I did since I arrived was to clean. Then tears came to her eyes. I approached her and asked her if something was wrong. She said that if only my dad was around he can see me doing the cleaning and fixing in the house and probably remark that he was proud of me. How she wished that my other brothers was like me I smiled and tried to comfort my mom. O told her that people have different ways in life. I have chosen this way because I think this is the right way. In regards to my cleaning, I do it because I like cleaning and at the same time doing exercise. I was hooting two birds with one stone. I have chosen to live a better life thus I do the things I know is right. Why waste my time in things that are wrong. What benefit will I get from doing wrong? I told her that she should see us all equally and that each of my brothers has there way in dealing with things. She should let them do it in the way that they know.
Sunday is my most memorable day. In the morning while attending the Easter mass I guy sat beside me. Since there was a wedding, the guy had time to approach me and ask me if I knew him. I really can’t think of who he was until he finally said that he was Romelie Escano. He was a classmate of mine back in our younger years in our old elementary school at Dulag. We were able to catch up with our lives. He is now Cavite
My day was marred by this small event in our house. It was because of a burger. My mom and younger brother came home after doing groceries and brought with them burgers for the three of us who were left to take care of the house and my mom’s feeds business. We got our share and my other brother set his share aside so that he has something for dinner. Then he discovered that his share was halved. Enraged with anger he quickly accused it to be the doing of our eldest brother. Then the eldest came and a heated argument. Our youngest told that it was his doing that the burger was halved but the two are already mad. Past feelings and hidden angers came out and the two erupted like volcanoes. From there they fought. My mother tried to stop them but they won’t listen. I came to stop them but the two were strong. My cousins who live nearby came and help me to stop the two. Our older sister came. They tried to reason out with our older brother and sentiments of the past came. Long kept hurts and anger was poured out. There was something wrong in our family since the death of our dad. The hurts in the past, from our dad, from the hard life, and our differences came out. My older brothers’ thinking has already been clouded. My sisters and I talked to him to search out what is really wrong with him. It was his inability to express himself and low self esteem is causing his way of thinking. We tried to talk out the wrong in the family and try to make solutions. I hope all will be alright. Many of our barrio neighbors think that our family is blessed. Most of us have finished our studies. They have high regard of us since we all turned out good.
But to tell you the truth our family is like any ordinary family. No family is perfect. Unless we accept each family member’s imperfection, our family won’t be stable due to different interest and perspective. I hope each and every family member especially those who are older have a wide thinking so that they can make the family stable. I am writing this not to impress you or to make you think that I so down to earth. I want you to know and love each member of your family. Don’t only talk, communicate with each other. Always give each member a chance to say their thoughts and never accused or leave out anyone. Don’t let the hierarchy system be in effect, that is the younger ones and those who are not giving financial support can say something even though they have no contribution. Don’t let the Parent ruling come in. When you talked as a family no one is above neither is anyone below. All is of equal footing. Sometimes each has different language. Thus those who can understand must lower theirs so that all can communicate.
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