Tell me Tang, are you in heaven?

Thirty five years ago, you were full of life. You showed happiness collecting books about your favorite sports – basketball. Eventually you became one of the most sought after coach for every liga ng barangay in those days. Your favorite basketball team? Jaworski’s team(s) – YCO, Meralco, Toyota, La Tondena. Remember the simple happiness you felt eating your favorite karyoka (a street food made of glutinous rice shaped like balls, deep fried, then rolled in sugar) and preparing your signature spaghetti with meatballs and hamburger sandwich? But tell me Tang, are you in heaven now? Do you still prepare your specialties up there?

Tell me Tang, are you in heaven?

Twenty five years ago you were not afraid of life. You ate the best food in China Town. You can name the ingredients used by just tasting the food. You used to tag us (my sister and I) along to educate our tongue on different types of food – American and Asian. But tell me Tang, are you in heaven now? Were you able to finish trying European food?

Tell me Tang, are you in heaven?

Fifteen years ago you discovered your clock was ticking so fast. You had it coming but you chose not to pay attention to it. You seldom made appointments with the doctor. You were more afraid of the dos and don’ts rather than the damage it would do to our finances. You continued living your life the way you lived it thirty five years ago. But tell me Tang, are you in heaven now? Is there such thing like element of time in heaven?

Tell me Tang, are you in heaven?

Four years ago on June 11, you joined the innumerable caravan. You succumb not because you ran out of breath but you ran out of good cells in your blood. You were crushed by our God physically to become perfect. You emerged victorious from the rubbles of diabetes complications and said good-bye peacefully in your sleep. But tell me Tang, are you in heaven now? Do you still feel the pain of dialysis, blood transfusion, and mild strokes? I know you are in heaven now. A place where peace is eternal. You may have died physically but death set you free. As what the bible said in the book of

Job 3:17 - "There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest”

Tell me Ima, what gift can I give you on Mother’s Day?

Tell me Ima, what gift can I give you on Mother’s Day?

Something Soft? Something Hard?

Maybe I will give you a soft heart that can yield easily to pressures and pains. Or maybe I will give you a heart as hard as steel that can withstand all pressures and pains.

Something Long? Something Short?

Maybe I can ask God to give you long life so you can be with your children for the longest time. Or maybe I can ask God to shorten the time that you are not with us.

Something Big? Something Small?

Maybe I will build you a big house so you can enjoy moving around. Or maybe I will just build you a small house so you won’t tire yourself moving around.

Something Colorful? Something Plain?

Maybe I will give you something colorful to make your life picture perfect. Or maybe I will give you something plain to make your life purer in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.

Something Sweet? Something Sour?

Maybe I will give you something sweet to make your meals complete. Or maybe I will give you something sour like Vitamin C to keep you away from colds.

Something Comic? Something melodramatic?

Maybe I will give you something comic to make you laugh all day. Or maybe I will give you something melodramatic like a volume of telenovelas that will make you sit and relax watching them all day.

Tell me Ima, what can I give you on Mother’s Day?

I guess I don’t need to give you any of the things I mentioned.

You don’t need a heart that can yield easily to pressures and pains nor a heart that can withstand all those. For you know nothing about pains and sorrow because our dear God gave you a heart that knows only happiness…

You don’t need longer time to be with your children for in your heart you know it’s not how long you are with them but how long have you been keeping them.

You neither need a big house nor a small house for in our Holy Father’s house you have a mansion.

You don’t need a colorful life for in the eyes of God you are pure and picture perfect.

You don’t need something sweet for dessert for God’s words are your bread of life.

You don’t need to watch comedy shows nor watch telenovelas for your life itself is comic and melodramatic full of laughter and tears, beautifully written, scripted and directed by God.

Left Photo: Ima in 1950, photo taken at Selegna Photo Studio
Right Photo: Me and Ima in 1969

Note: Our Ima is now 82 years old and very active in the church.