06 May 2011

at dusk


This is a booklet we prepared to commemorate Dad's 2nd death anniversary last 22nd April.


Why ‘At Dusk’?

As I was thinking about this booklet to commemorate our Dad’s 2nd death anniversary, I tried to remember some of the activities we used to do together as a family. One of the most unforgettable moments was gathering together at dusk, when we were all still living at home, i.e. before we all left for university. As part of the Filipino tradition and especially at home, at 6p.m. we should go to our elders and ‘make mano’ or ‘bisa’. It is translated as ‘kiss the hand’ in English but this is not a correct translation, as we do not really kiss their hands. Rather we let our forehead touch the hand of our elders as a sign of respect, especially the bowing down.

So at dusk my Dad would check the attendance of everyone at home. He was mighty strict especially because out of 7 children, 6 are girls. We would gather around our parents at the terrace where we could feel the cool wind and the sounds of night insects. It was during this time that we would talk about our day, and if there were some issues that came up such as misbehavior and misunderstanding, they would be discussed. It was also during this time when we sometimes got emotional, esp. when my Dad & Mom would start to tell us about their past hardships during the war, as well as the experiences of others. In all these we were able to learn lessons about life. One such thing is narrated in one of the pages here.

The other write-ups here are taken from my blog during the past year which mentioned about Dad.

We continue to miss him, even as our hearts continue to be full of hope of God’s promise to those who believe, that there’s a place where we will see him again!

May you all be encouraged to keep walking in the light, walking by faith and not by sight.

 You mean so much to us, Dad,
You are  always be in our hearts .

2 comments:

Lainy said...

Oh my! Can't help but be misty-eyed reading this. I miss my father a lot too. I know my dad and yours are in better places now. I could only wish they are still here. Memories of him will be forever embedded in my heart.

Thanks for including me in your bloglist.

Hugs,
LAINY

Carnation said...

Our dads were remarkable men indeed! Thanks for reading.