Be Cheerful, Strive To Be Happy (In Memory Of A Father)

Photo from vgsamson.multiply.com

[Note: I have never known my father, who passed away last April 26, to be the literary sort of guy. Which is why I will never forget the time when he quoted the Desiderata when my sister and I were once bickering inside the car so many years ago when we were still kids. I thought - wow, Dad is actually quoting Desiderata?! Correctly at that! Now I guess I can best sum up how I would like to remember my father by reprinting The Desiderata. I know, this is so trite, our relationship was far from perfect, and I wasn't exactly the nicest child that a father, and even a mother, can have, but I miss him, as early as now, just as I miss my mother.]

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

A Family Visit

It was a very hot Friday afternoon when we arrived at my father's and aunt's place somewhere in a province north of Metro Manila.

These are anticipated visits for me: this is the place where I used to spend my summers every year as a child.

Much has changed indeed, but I still feel that this is one of the many homes of my life, and this is one of my most remembered places of abode.

I certainly miss the warm afternoon sun permeating through the large windows.

And for some reason, it feels a lot better now, than before, to be here.

My aunt and sister: two beautiful and strong women, in so many ways.

(Like I always say, friends may come and go, and at the end of the day one always finds himself going back to his family....)

Ma

Let it not be a death but completeness.
Let love melt into memory and pain into songs.
Let the flight through the sky end in the folding of the wings over the nest.
Let the last touch of your hands be gentle like the flower of the night.

(Rabindranath Tagore, "Peace My Heart")

Corazon Gacita Samson
31 January 1945 - 02 July 2005)

(It's been four years....)

No photos. My mom is camera-shy.

The Blog Rounds 22: A Legacy

More often than not, I get to receive beautiful gifts that come straight from the heart. Even those so-called "generic gifts", I consider as heartfelt; it is a lot better to look at it that way. I love opening gifts, but at the same time I do not mind not receiving any gifts. This is just one of the many paradoxes of my disposition.

I remember someone whom I used to think was the worst person to ever receive a gift. I am talking about my late mother, who always left me exasperated during Christmas and her birthday. Not once did I see her happy with my gifts. In fact, I could hardly remember any instance when she was completely satisfied with what I did, ever. My mother was probably the most generous person around, lending help in any form to her less fortunate friends, unconditionally. I received some of the best material gifts from her, and so did my siblings. My mother was a very beautiful person, but she was also the worst recipient of gifts that came specifically from me. And for many years, I was, in a way, sore....

Mom and I, Recognition Day, many many years ago

Then again, my mother was not one to openly express her appreciation. This I would fully learn and understand weeks after her death, when we were fixing some of her stuff.

My mother kept all the things I gave her, all the letters I wrote her. She kept all my awards when I was still in primary and secondary school, and all clippings that bore my name. My sister, who lived with my mom during the last few years of her life, told me that she talked about me with pride to her young grandchildren. (No wonder these kids initially wanted to be doctors. It was brainwash!)

My mother, it seemed, gave a lot of herself, and kept a lot to herself at the same time. And for me, this is probably her last and best gift - her legacy - that she left before she stepped out of this world. Love, definitely, goes beyond the act of physical gift-giving ... and yes, it is best expressed without words.

*****

This is my submission to The Blog Rounds 22nd edition, whose theme is The Gift, hosted by the rising star Merricherri.