May 25, 1920 - January 14, 2015
Lolo, anong oras na po diyan sa heaven?
Ano pong ngalan ng anghel ninyo?
Babae o lalake po ba?
Gano po katagal paglakbay niyo papunta diyan?
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| December 25, 2014 Lolo's last Christmas |
For as long as I can remember, my Lolo was always the doting kind of grandfather. Whenever we'd visit him in his house in Cubao, he would always make sure there was plenty of food to eat, complete with dessert (usually mocha ice cream bought from the nearby tindahan). Whenever we'd call him over the phone, he would always ask about every little detail of our lives:
Me: Hello po, Lolo!
Lolo: Oh ano, apo ko, kamusta naman ang iyong pag-aaral? (How are your studies?)
Me: Ok naman po, Lolo. A-Student pa rin naman po ako.
Lolo: Mahusay, apo ko. Eh apo ko, ano ngalan ng maestra mo sa iskuwela? (What is the name of your head teacher?)
Me: *gives a name*
Lolo: Ah, eh yun ba Miss or Misis na? (Is she a miss or a misis?)
Me: Misis na yata po, Lolo.
Lolo: Ah eh maiba nga tayo ng usapan apo ko. Anong oras na ba diyan? (What time is it there?)
Me: 6 o'clock po, Lolo.
Lolo: Anong airline sasakyan mo pabalik ng Estados Unidos, apo ko? (What airline are you flying with going back to the US?)
Me: Delta po.
Lolo: Anong rota mo, apo ko? (What's your route?)
You get the idea. :)
When I was younger, I couldn't get why my Lolo kept on asking about every little thing during phone conversations. My dad then explained that it was my Lolo's way of keeping the conversation going because he wanted to stay on the phone with his apos (grandchildren) for as long as he could.
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| 2005 - Lolo with his girl apos :) (Lolo was never the smile-y type when it came to picture-taking. I guess he didn't want to show his teeth, or lack thereof hehehe labyu Lolo) |
Lola was also our true war hero. He fought in World War II, survived, and brought with him endlessly fascinating stories from his war experience. Oh, his stories! I once wrote a whole reflection paper about WWII using only the details of the stories he shared with us. (And yes, of course I got an A on it, hehehe) Lolo was our greatest history teacher, our champion story teller (every detail ingrained in his mind as sharp as knives), and the best extemporaneous speaker in the family (he could recite a whole inspirational speech at a drop of a hat--in English, Tagalog, and even in Spanish!). Simply put, my Lolo was pretty amazing.
On August 13, 1997, my Lola (grandmother) passed away. Lola was the ultimate love of my Lolo. So when she went ahead and took a one-way trip to heaven that year, Lolo was devastated. A huge part of him was lost, and we could all tell that his joy and will to live greatly decreased. He wasn't depressed, but it was evident that he felt lonely and was missing Lola every single second of every single day.
But my Lolo was strong. He went on to live 17 more years after he had lost his best friend and partner-in-crime. He would have turned 95 years old this May (95 years old! Whoa and you thought you were old lol), but I guess it was time for him to take that same trip to heaven and finally be reunited with my Lola.
Especially during these past few months, I could tell (we all could) in my heart that Lolo was just waiting for God to call him back. He was ready. Instead of fearing death, I bet Lolo was focusing on getting excited to see my Lola again. The more physically weak he was getting, the emotionally stronger he was becoming, I feel like.
Lolo lived a full and abundant life. 94 years full of love, laughter, and family. He was so blessed to still have seen six great grandchildren. Six! While I do wish he could've seen my future children, I rest in the thought that we have another guardian angel watching over us now. Di bale, Lolo, I will make sure I will tell wonderful stories about you to my future kids. They will get to know you po, through endless stories and anecdotes of your memories, and they will love you. You and Lola.
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| Lolo was blessed to have seen some of his grandchildren have their own children! Taken December 2013 |
Thank you, Lolo, for the family you raised, for the stories you shared, for the love that you so selflessly gave. I can just imagine how happy you are now--in God's kingdom, AND back in the arms of Lola.
Pa kiss naman po kay Lola, miss na miss na miss na miss na din po namin siya. Enjoy po kayo diyan sa heaven, Lolo, ha? Pero easy lang po sa beer, baka hindi approve ni God, eh katabi niyo na Siya diyan hehehe.
I love you so much, Lolo, and we will miss you! In fact, we all miss you already.
Super.
Love always,
Your apo Nonen
Nakakaiyak :(
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