Memories

TWO VERY important family holidays have been observed by Filipino Catholics nationwide in November. All Saints’ Day comes on Nov. 1 and followed by All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2.

The Catholic faithful would pray for all the saints in heaven on All Saints’ Day and on All Souls’ Day for our dear departed at their resting places in memorial parks and cemeteries.

We visit them at their resting places and offer prayers on the special day. After praying for them, memories flood back to our minds about our dear departed.

Our father was a good man. He worked with a sewing machine company and excelled in selling the product in Iloilo which was his sales territory at the time.  Because he reached only grade school as he was orphaned early, it became a “mission” for him for all of us his six children to acquire college education. 

We remember that he had a long bamboo stick hung on the wall near our dining table.  When dining together, our father would remind us to eat well and faithfully attend school and point to the bamboo stick which he said he would only use for two reasons.  He would use it on anyone who failed to attend school and for those who did not eat their meals.

To make a long story short, we all pursued and finished college which our parents never did. Our eldest and only girl became a lawyer. Two of us finished business courses. One finished Chemical Engineering and a BS in Chemistry, one Mechanical Engineering and our youngest, BS in Industrial Engineering.

Our parents were quite proud of our achievements as their children considering that my father reached only the third grade while our mother finished Grade 4.

College education was our parents’ legacy to us, their six children.  We, in turn, made college education as priority for our children.

College education provides good assurance to a better life.  We wish that our children who have now families of their own will give college education for their children as priority too.

Our late parent’s philosophy and strong belief was that college education which they themselves missed is the only legacy that we could leave our children that could not be stolen or lost. Bless their soul for their valuable advice which we have also passed on to all our children.

GEM OF THOUGHT

“Fame is like a river that beareth up things light and swollen, but drowns things weighty and solid.” – Francis Bacon (For comments or re-actions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.com/PN)

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