A Recollection of my 75th Birthday Affair February 16, 2013, Knights of Columbus Hall, River Edge, New Jersey

It was a night to remember,
It was a surprise beyond belief,
It was an affair to remember!

I was caught unaware,
I was caught flat-footed,
I had no inkling that something eventful was brewing
I was completely blown away!

The attendees came from all over
From the Philippines, Canada, North Carolina
New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Maryland.
They were close kins, relatives, neighbors, friends,acquaintances,
Former students in different high schools
Four sons and their families
And my fifth child, a daughter and her loved partner.
And yes, they were the planners and organizers of the well-kept surprise affair!

The surprise party was truly surpriseable,
The emcee was a dream!
The music and DJ'S were just right!
The cake was exquisite!
The flowers and wrist corsage were lovely,
The candle glow was romantic,
The food was sumptuous....
The program and participants were superb!
The souvenirs were unique.
The dancers were a...go.....go.....delightful!
The kids had a jolly clean fun!
The photographer captured the surprise in the photos she took
The raised eyebrows, the open mouth, the widest grin, the toothy laughter
The look of disbelief, the eloquent hand and graceful gestures
Not only of the honoree but also of the guests.

What can one say when the heart is full?
Just a sincere thank you to each and everyone
Who made the affair a most memorable and cherished one.
It feels good to be 75!!!!!!!

A Note to Gary and Melissa

Dear Gary and Melissa,

I have just opened a simply but tastefully-wrapped book of memory from you. 

It brought a tear or two as I thumbed through its pages.

You have captured most of the highlights of my being.

In the sunset of my life, I can only say a simple "thank you" from the bottom of my heart.

May GOD bless us all! GOD is good!

Lovingly, Mommy

(Written on the occasion of my 76th birthday)

The Empty Stocking

There was a house

It stood majestically in the heart of the town

It stood proudly in front of the seat of religious fervor

It stood beside the political seat of power

It stared directly at the erect monument of the national hero

It presided over the festive atmosphere during celebrations

honoring the Lady of the Candle.

I do not know how the grand old patriarch had designed it

I do not know exactly when it came into being

I do not know how the great posts have been erected

I do not know from where the tiles and wood have come from

but I do know that the grand old man had created a vision

of symmetry and rhythm and beauty into every nook and cranny.

The house with its five spacious boudoirs and airy living area

surrounded by a balcony abloom with milflores during spring

to lend its harmony with the May Flores de Mayo

and chrysanthemums, yellow, white, purple during autumn

to be attune to the memorial celebration to honor the departed

Is a sight to behold, a picture perfect structure that gives

dignity, honor, color to a glorious southern town.

The house has seen the reign of the conquistadores

who called the Malayan forbears "los indios"

The house has catered to the chinky eyed nippon soldiers as they

danced and made merry-making in the airy living area

when they occupied it and made it their quarters

So they could preside in the early morning rituals of the townfolks

as they do their calisthenics in front of the warlords

counting...itcs, ni, san, si... over a speaker

While the owners cower somewhere in fear, powerless over their

priceless abode, fearful lest they get entangled in

the greedy, brutal power of the usurper with

their glistening bayonets and mirthful laughter!

Somehow the house has withstood storms that whirled around it.

Somehow, the house was preserved with all its history of glory,

of pain, of endless buffet of wind and rain

Until one fateful day, with one careless flicker

from the adjacent structure made by an uncaring, mindless

gesture that turned the flicker into a full-blown

hell bent on razing beauty down to ashes!

Now the house is no more. Now the dream has burst into a flame

of nothingness. Now the memories are gone!

Not even a hint of glory remains.

There Was A Girl...Part Two

There was a girl
she lived in the south side of the jungle
There where the plants grow forever green
There where the weeds grow side by side
with the reddening petals of the rose
There where the sun blinks but for a moment
There where the dewdrops glimmer as the sun
rises in the early morning glow
There where the breeze blows gently
and playfully mess up the tiny little curls into
clinging little spirals forever wrapped tightly.
There where the old and the new meet somewhere
near the curb to meet and merge and be as one.

I know this place somewhere in the south
No matter where the wind blows
It shall beckon and it shall wave and revive
The message loud and clear to recall and be reconciled
with the hidden past and the troubled years
Time has a way of hiding the checkered moments
that colored ones life with a rainbow
But the place remains beckoning and re-awakening
memories of days gone by
Indelible imprints, marked and unmarked
written in the leaves of grass and trees
forever stored , waiting to be restored
By a spark, a flicker, a tap from somewhere, from nowhere...

There Was A Girl

There Was A Girl...

A tiny wisp of a girl

Shy, simple, unassuming

Naive? Maybe!

Innocent? Certainly!

Nonchalantly unconcerned with the ways of the world!

Quiet and silent in her own little sphere

Strangely fascinating in her modesty and femininity

Pure in thoughts, in words, in deed

Carefree but not careless

Warm, not lukewarm

Intense

Afire

Aglow

Alive!

When I was small

When i was small...

Steps fascinated me

I'd sit on the step and let the sun shine on me

I'd watch the spider orchids bathe on the streaming light

I'd feel the warmth creeping on my skin

And let the glow permeate my whole being

Till the steps burn and I heave a sigh of relief.



When i was small

I'd try one step at a time

To reach what seems to be the unreachable rung

I'd look up and let my sight catch the gleam of the wavering shadow

I'd close my eyes and let just a flicker of light guide my sight to the top

And i sway as the step goes one after the other

Till there is no more.



What is it in steps that fascinate and catch my imagination?

Why am i lured to glide up and catch the sun

Before it is covered by the misty drift somewhere along the way.

I see the orchids gracefully dancing oblivious of the scorching and searing sun

The steps are forever inviting me to go higher

Till the apex is reached and I can smile.

Hibernation

Today, February 7, 2009, I woke up from a deep slumber. Strange that for more than two years, I have fallen asleep, my thoughts lingering but not solidifying, my heart heavy with a restlessness so consuming. There is a numbness that tingles in my bones, my muscle, my veins, my sinews.

I feel a strangeness that's happening. A melancholy strain is playing somewhere.
I need the strength to waken up fully and get me out of this numbing hibernation.

Somehow, sometime, my senses, my feelings, my emotions, my thoughts
would bring me back to reality and fill me again with music,
with color and with vitality!

Tenth Death Anniversary Prayer for Ben Mercado

On the 10th death anniversary of Ben Mercado,Jr., March 4, 2007
Neil Michael (Nikki) Santos said this prayer:

God our Father,

Today, we remember your son, Uncle Ben Mercado.
We recall the fruitful time he spent with us here on earth.
He was an engineer, and we recall his work and accomplishments,
the things he built, his honors and achievements, his joys and sorrows
and his still on-going project and biggest blessing, his family.

Father, all our lives are richer having known him.
His departure has left us all a wound in our hearts,
a wound we pray will not heal as we never want to forget
and somehow let his life live through our own.

We celebrate today, not in sadness, but with hope and joy
with the knowledge that death is not the end;
that all who have died, somehow, still live.
A reminder among us still living that life is changed, not taken away.

In company with Christ, who died and now lives,
May he and all the faithful departed rejoice in your kingdom,
where all tears are wiped away.

Father, unite us together again in one family,
to live in your heavenly presence forever. Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen

Message to David On His Confirmation

Minamahal kong David,
Binabati kita sa pagtatapos mo ng iyong Spiritual Retreat ngayong araw na ito, March 24, 2007! Ngayon ang simula ng iyong tunay na paglaki hindi lamang sa pangangatawan pero lalo na sa iyong buhay na pang-spirituwal.

Nakita ko ang bilis ng iyong paglaki at pagkamulat sa mga bagay-bagay sa ating kapaligiran at ang pagyabong ng iyong mga katangian na nanggaling sa ating Maykapal. Ikaw ay pinagpala ng Diyos ng sari-saring kakayahan, karunungan at kahasaan.Sa bawa't biyaya na ibinibigay sa atin ng Diyos, dapat mong malaman na malaki ang kanyang pag-asa na ikaw ay magiging tunay na "responsible at accountable" sa mga biyayang ito.

Gabi-gabi bago ako matulog ay nagdadasal ako kasabay ni Sr. Angelica at isa ka sa walong (8) apo ko na palaging kasali sa dasal ko. Hinihiling ko sa Diyos na maunawaan mo ang lahat ng mga bagay-bagay tungkol sa mga biyayang ipinagkaloob niya sa iyo. "To whom much is given, much is also expected in return."

Sana matuto kang magpasalamat sa Diyos sa lahat ng kanyang ipinagkakaloob sa iyo, kahit na sa mga karanasan mo na sa palagay mo ay hindi mo gusto. Lahat ng nangyayari sa buhay natin ay may dahilan kaya palagi kang magpasalamat at magdasal ng papuri sa Diyos. Kasama ka sa araw araw na pagdadasal ko sa Diyos.

Ang nagmamahal sa iyo,
Lola Nitz

Dear David,

I greet you today, the end of your two-day Spiritual Retreat! Today marks the beginning of your growth, not only physically, but most importantly your spiritual growth.

I have seen and watched you grow and become aware of the many things in and around you. I have noted your growth in your abilities, capabilities and potentials. God has blessed you with so many talents, skills and wisdom. Always remember that with every gift that God has blessed you with, there is a corresponding expectation and hope that you will be responsible and accountable for all these blessings.

Every night before I sleep, I pray together with Sr. Angelica and you are one among my eight (8) grandchildren whom I pray for. I pray to God that you will understand that "to whom much is given, much is also expected in return."

May you give thanks to the Lord for everything and anything that comes your way, even for the not-so-good and painful experiences. All that happen to us have a reason, so praise and thank the Lord all the time. I'll keep you always in my prayers.

Lovingly,
Lola Nitz