It's such a grand thing to be a mother of a mother - that's why the world calls her grandmother.

Sunday will mark the Grandparents Day. Well, I only knew it's coming because of mall ads for their activities on that day. Is it just really one of those marketing strategies? But oh well, grandparents really deserve to be honored a special day.

I can never claim to be close with my grandparents. My Lola on the father side died when I was eleven years old. Many of the memories I had with her was already the time when she was confined in the hospital. She was there for a long period of time that sometimes my cousin Da, who's just the same age with me, were the one who watch over her. I could never forget her being hospitalized because there was one time that a brownout occured. Da and I rushed to a nearby store out of the hospital and we were so frightened when we passed by the emergency room and we hear someone dying. When you were child those things is terrifying. I only knew that when she died my sisters and I would always be together on any part of the house because were so afraid of the idea of ghosts. What added to my fear most of the time is when they are saying that I actually look like her. And I would imagine that I would look like that when I die.

My Lolo on the father side died even before my parents were wed. The only idea I had about him was his picture. But before we have our “Lolo Father”. He was the parish priest but he stayed in my Lola’s house since there wasn’t a convent during that time yet. His death was the only memory that lingers in my mind of years before I turned five.

Papay, my grandfather on my mother’s side was already an Anislag icon. For everyone will remember him as one brave man. As in laging naghahamon ng away. And he had this powerful voice. But of course, he had never hit any one of his children. On his aging years, he finally succumb to his weaknesses that he would cry just seeing any one of us.

Mamay is still very much alive of course, and many times before my mother would still need her to watch over us when she’s away. Mamay was an exact opposite of Papay’s personality. So reserved that I never heard an instance that she raised her voice or had gone mad. Oh well, I never had the chance to spend times with her and she would even say “baka daw umulan at bumisita daw ako sa kanila.” She would even prepare for me a special merienda and have something as “pabaon” kasi pambihira daw ako mapunta don. To think that we are just on the same Barangay.

One thing that I am most thankful about was that we have our grandparents around. Even if we were not born rich, and have lived in a rural area throughout our growing years, we didn’t experience having no food to eat. It is one advantage when your immediate relatives all live in the same Barangay. My mother will just say “utang muna” since  Mamay run a sari-sari store.

Now that my parents are Lolo and Lola to their nine apo’s, I can see their contentment in just being with my “pamangkins’. Of course, many, many times they have to bear too the problems my siblings encounters with their respective families. Pero ganon talaga siguro ang buhay, it’s just a blessing that our parents will always be there for us. I know that we have caused them many disappointments in the past especially about the fact that my siblings married young. But still they had continued to give their all out support. I am aware na minsan napapagod na din sila, mabigat na ‘ung mga pinapapasan pa sa kanila, and yet, I am just so grateful that did remain the same ever kind parents to us. And I can only pray that they may live a long, long life to see their “apo” in me.

HAPPY GRANDPARENTS DAY TO ALL GREAT, GREAT LOLO'S & LOLA'S!