UNFOLDING, AS IT SHOULD
“I also believe that parents, if they love you, will hold you up safely, above their swirling waters, and sometimes that means you’ll never know what they endured, and you may treat them unkindly, in a way you otherwise wouldn’t.” – Mitch Albom, For One More Day
My parents married in 1950, migrated from the Philippines and settled in Los Angeles, eventually raising nine children on one income. Our meager upbringing was challenging, sometimes fostering deep rooted feelings of frustration and resentment. As kids, we never considered the daily hardships our parents went through to keep us warm and safe.
As an adult, raising my own children, I finally understood. I realized that my folks, despite their shortcomings, did the best they knew how with what little they had. Who could ask for more of a parent? It is like I finally saw them for the first time and choose not to look back in anger, but to look forward in confidence.
It has been many years since my parents passed. But through my life’s trials and tribulations, I am grateful for the seeds of inspiration they planted along my creative path. I feel my father’s voice every day, lifting me up whenever I fall. And I take comfort knowing that behind my story is my mother’s story, because hers is where mine begins.
I will love them forever but regret that I never told them of my deep appreciation and respect. But in my heart, somehow, I feel they already know.
Mahal ko kayo nanay at tatay. Salamat sa lahat.