“I can’t imagine heaven’s lullabies
and what they must sound like,
but I will rest in knowing,
heaven is your home
and it’s all you’ll ever know…”
Glory baby, Watermark
“Lord, nganong gikuha man nimo si Jan-jan uy?” It was a lighthearted question from Jon, asking God why He took his little sister. No, I didn’t sense a hint of bitterness or blame.
We were talking about my niece - little Jan-jan, cute Jan-jan… chinky eyes, rosy cheeks, black hair, chubby and healthy, picture perfect baby, who left us when she was only 3 months old. Her Mom woke up to find her little body lifeless beside her. It was such great sorrow for a mother to let go of her baby daughter at such an early age. The cause of death was unexplainable, a case of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) which usually happens to seemingly healthy babies younger than 1 year old. I remember how it was so painful for my sis-in-law that time to accept her death. It was as if nothing could take away the hurt and misery she felt. That was about ten years ago.
It was a sunny Monday afternoon, when Jan-jan’s remains were transferred from the old public cemetery to the Mactan Island Memorial Garden (MIMG). Now she has a new home. It was her second burial. We waited for my big bro and sis-in-law at the memorial garden, and finally they arrived, with a white box. My sis-in-law related to us how the hired men at the old cemetery took out her little bones with her white dress, socks, and gloves still on, soiled but not rotten, how her bones looked so tiny, how they transferred them to a white box, wrapped it with white cloth and sealed with a ribbon. She now spoke with much fondness and love, no more traces of pain.
I watched pensively as a man placed the box in the pit, covered it with concrete slab, sealed it with mortar, then used a shovel to cover it with soil. Jan-jan could have been a little girl by now. I know she could have been a joy to her Dad and Mom, a malambing and kulit sister to her Kuya and Ate, and a doting sister to little Josh. The square of bermuda grass was finally placed on top of the soil. Candles were lit and we gathered around and said a prayer for Jan-jan, a little angel watching over us.
According to Bankrate.com, most Americans carry between five and ten credit cards. How about you? How many do you have? Well, we all know the pros and cons of using these small plastic cards on our wallets. Convenience is the main reason, especially for online purchases. Though I’ve known some friends who are struggling to pay off their outstanding debts, I do know of some people who are regularly paying their credit card bills monthly and I admire them for that. The important thing is to make your cards your slave and not the other way around.
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Finally I’m home here in Negros. We had to leave early Saturday morning to catch the 7:30 AM barge trip at the Toledo city pier. We arrived just in time! Thanks to the South Coastal Road from the Plaza Independencia to the Talisay district, where Dad speedily made it within 10 minutes, and the smoothly paved roads all the way to Toledo city.
Driving along the South Coastal Road
The rest of the trip was fine except for the waves at the sea which rocked us a bit. The tired me still managed to catch a few winks though. Thank God for the safe trip.
I recently heard a story about the cold-blooded murder of a family, where the child was able to run to their neighbor to tell them that her mother was being killed. It was later found out that the ruthless criminal was under the influence of drugs.
Drug addiction is still one of society’s evils and even if government authorities do all they can to stop this, it continues to plague humanity particularly the youth. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the US, “Abuse and addiction to alcohol, nicotine, and illegal substances cost Americans upwards of half a trillion dollars a year, considering their combined medical, economic, criminal, and social impact.”
What happens to a person addicted to drugs? He becomes depressed and feels lifeless, suffering physically and mentally. Family and loved ones are adversely affected as well. Is there still hope? Substance abuse often leads to brain disease creating a negative impact to health, causing sickness and even death. This is where a drug rehab program is very important in ending drug addiction since the healing and treatment process takes time. The Stone Hawk Rehabilitation Center in Michigan is one such place for addiction treatment. Situated in a quiet semi-residential area, surrounded by hills and trees, with a lake for fishing, the environment is just ideal for an addiction recovery. The center uses the New Life Detoxification Program, an all natural detoxification and withdrawal process using a combination of proper nutrition and nutritional supplementation. Students are then given counseling and life-skills program to guide and show them the way to finally becoming drug-free.
Ideas are powerful. A train of thought can make or break, build or destroy. The choice is ours. Our ideas become our future. I believe that life’s meaningful lessons are best learned when shared with others.
