to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy… and to laugh along the way
Boy meets girl. They fall in love. They encounter many obstacles along the way. But they stick it out. And they would live happily ever after. You know the drill, right? But no, this story’s a whole lot different. And it’s certainly one for the movies.
If I close my eyes, I can still hear the echo of those days – the creak of the tartanilya’s wheels, my mother’s whispered prayers tucked into the din of the church bells, even the frenzied sounds of children playing during recess. Those early memories provide moments of innocent laughter that fill my corner of the world with so much life. These moments of loving and learning settled deep into my young child’s heart.
I open my life book with a vow, not a vow of perfection, but of presence: to show up honestly, to listen deeply, to act with small kindnesses that hopefully will ripple outward, and to leave behind a trace of light for those who follow. If my life were a compass, may its needle remain steady in the winds of change, guiding future hands toward a brighter, more compassionate path.
I was a young Army captain then, newly married, and newly assigned to Manila – at the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Camp Aguinaldo, to be exact – after 7 years of risky field service in the hinterland areas mainly in war-torn Mindanao. Those 4 days of February would become heady days for me, my family, my relatives and friends, as we all gathered at EDSA – the epicenter of it all – in that busy portion of the highway between Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo.
From rocky paths to steadfast hope, our journey has been defined by resilience and faith. As I look to our future, I dream of more sunsets holding your hand firmly in mine, more conversations that stretch into the night, more adventures small and grand, and more moments that remind us why we chose this life together.
The highlands of Alicia gave us more than a physical ascent; it offered a shared memory, a reminder that beauty, when pursued together, becomes a great, memorable experience. For Buchi, the grand adventure was a spark—one that lit up his imagination that hopefully will develop a strong bond with nature and a strong sense of responsibility over our environment. We are grateful for this wonderful opportunity to bond, to exercise, and most of all, to teach the young one of our collective responsibility for the wild, wonderful world he will learn to live and love in the years ahead.
Color My World 