Top Love Songs and Slow-Paced Songs of All Time

My recently departed mother loved to sing songs with a soothing sound, especially love songs and slow-paced tunes. It helped her relax during downtimes. Today, I serenade her with what I think are the top love songs and old-fashioned, slow-going songs of all time.

...The criterion being the sheer beauty of the song through its overall sound, vocal quality, interpretation, lyrics, uniqueness, impact, a relaxing and non-aggravating tone, and other indefinable qualities.

My mother had her own repertoire in her mini-concerts using her portable videoke that my sister gifted her, so of course, I include them here.

In totally random order, here are some I can recall at this time of grieving--one song for every year of her life:

1. Andra Day's Rise Up — "a modern anthem of wounded souls learning how to stand again with quiet dignity"

2. Idina Menzel's Defying Gravity — "a soaring declaration of freedom sung as if the human spirit itself had finally broken its chains"

3. Beyonce's Listen — "heartbreak transformed into a thunderous plea to finally be heard"

4. Peabo Bryson's Love Always Finds a Way — "soft and reassuring, like mature love speaking calmly after surviving storms"

5. Jeffrey Osborne's On the Wings of Love — "one of the smoothest love songs ever written, floating like warm evening air"

6. Billy Ocean's Suddenly — "the sound of unexpectedly finding lifelong love when one had already stopped searching"

7. Anita Baker's Sweet Love — "velvet vocals wrapped around one of the most elegant slow jams ever created"

8. James Ingram's Just Once — "a painfully honest song about two people who love each other yet still cannot make things right"

9. James Ingram's There's No Easy Way — "heartbreak delivered with grace, restraint, and devastating maturity"

10. Chris Brown's With You — "youthful affection expressed with simplicity, sincerity, and surprisingly gentle warmth"

11. Patti Austin's Say You Love Me — "sophisticated romance carried by understated emotion and impeccable phrasing"

12. Minnie Ripperton's Lovin' You — "perhaps the closest popular music has ever come to sounding like pure sunlight"

13. Earth, WInd & Fire's Devotion — "spiritual, romantic, and cosmic all at once, like love elevated into prayer"

14. Jamiroquai's Tallulah — my quirky personal favorite; "jazzy melancholy drifting beautifully between nostalgia, longing, and sophisticated groove"

15. Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You — "the Mount Everest of vocal love songs, impossible to separate from raw human emotion"; the best love song in my opinion

16. Stevie Wonder's Superstition — "funk perfection with a restless pulse that still sounds alive decades later"

17. Stevie Wonder's Ribbon in the Sky — "Stevie Wonder turning romance into something celestial and eternal"

18. Toni Braxton's Un-Break My Heart — "grief, regret, and longing distilled into one unforgettable cry"

19. Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle's A Whole New World — "a duet that captures the innocence and wonder of discovering love together"

20. Shania Twain's You're Still the One — "a gentle celebration of love that endured beyond gossip, doubt, and time itself"

21. R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly — "musically uplifting and emotionally expansive"

22. Gladys Knight and the Pips's Neither One of Us — "two hearts quietly accepting the death of a relationship they still cannot let go of"

23. Shirley Bassey's Diamonds are Forever — "glamorous on the surface yet strangely haunting underneath, like luxury masking loneliness"

24. Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly with His Song — "intimate storytelling sung with such tenderness it feels whispered directly into the soul"

25. Journey's Don't Stop Believin' — "pure arena-rock hope powered by Steve Perry’s almost supernatural voice"

26. Ronnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me — "one of the saddest truths about love ever expressed without bitterness"

27. John Mayer's Daughters — "reflective and delicate, carrying the quiet wisdom of emotional inheritance"

28. Adele's Someone Like You — "heartbreak stripped of pride, sung with devastating vulnerability"

29. Brian McKnight's Back at One — "polished, romantic, and impossibly smooth from beginning to end"

30. Oasis's Wonderwall — "messy, youthful longing transformed into an immortal singalong"

31. Vanessa Williams' When You Tell Me That You Love Me — my mother's favorite (she hit the difficult notes-- take note); "a beautifully restrained ballad that glows with sincerity rather than excess"

32. 3 Doors Down's Here Without You — "separation, memory, and enduring attachment wrapped in soft rock melancholy"

33. Michael Johnson's I'll Always Love You — "tender, understated heartbreak sung with old-fashioned emotional honesty"

34. Peabo Bryson's If Ever You're in My Arms Again — "mature longing expressed with extraordinary warmth and vocal control"

35. Barbra Streisand's The Way We Were — "nostalgia itself set to music, bittersweet and impossibly elegant"

36. Tina Turner's What's Love Got to Do with It — "wounded cynicism dancing defiantly over an irresistibly catchy groove"

37. Beyonce's Irreplaceable — a hilarious breakup ditty, "one with just enough sass and humor to make heartbreak entertaining"

38. Crystal Gayle's A Long and Lasting Love — "soft country-pop comfort for people who still believe 'forever' exists"

39. Diana Ross’s When You Tell Me That You Love Me — one of my mother's favorites; "timeless romance elevated by Diana Ross’s graceful vulnerability and emotional finesse"

40. Lawas Kan Pinabli — a Pangasinan folk song; for me, the loveliest Filipino folk song of all time

41. Deniese Williams's Healing — music that harks back to Negro spirituals; "does not merely entertain but quietly comforts the spirit itself"; "soothing and restorative, like music designed specifically for weary hearts"

42. Aretha Franklin's (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman — "soul music at its most powerful and feminine, where love becomes both vulnerability and triumph through Aretha’s unmatched emotional force"

43. Sisqo's Incomplete — "a smooth, aching confession of emotional distance, where love still exists but feels heartbreakingly out of reach"

44. Michael Pangilinan's Bakit Ba Ikaw — "raw OPM heartbreak laid bare, where every line sounds like a question with no comforting answer"

45. Morisette Amon's Rise Up — "a soul-deep anthem of endurance, sung like a hand reaching through pain toward hope"

46. Side A's Forevermore — "gentle, enduring love wrapped in soft rock tenderness, like a promise that refuses to fade"

47. Ella May Sayson's Till My Heartaches End — "classic OPM sorrow, where love is held on to even as it slowly breaks the heart"

48. Bituin Escalante's Kung Ako na Lang Sana — "quiet longing and regret, like loving someone in silence while wishing for another ending"

49. Basil Valdez's You — "elegant Filipino balladry at its purest, where devotion is expressed with restrained, heartfelt grace"

50. Amy Grant's That's What Love is For — "soft reassurance set to music, like love speaking gently when words are hardest to find"

51. South Border's Rainbow — "a soft, hopeful ballad about enduring heartbreak and believing that better days will come after the rain passes"

52. South Border's Kahit Kailan — "a heartfelt declaration of lasting love and devotion, made even more iconic by its soaring vocals and that famously difficult whistle note at the end that tests the limits of control and range"

53. Luciano Pavarotti's Nessun Dorma — "slow-burn operatic tenor aria on dawn-break triumph, voice rising like victory held too long in silence"

54. Carl Orff's O Fortuna — "rhythmic, syllabic choral force like a medieval chant fused with cinematic doom to describe what fate is: a wheel turning loud, chaos chanting under thunder"

55. Barbra Streisand's Memory — "lyrical Broadway ballad on the soft ache of remembering and love fading into quiet night"

56. Boyz II Men’s On Bended Knee — "a silky 90s R&B ballad of aching male harmonies, slow-burning piano chords, and emotionally soaring falsetto pleas that crest into a pleading, gospel-tinged climax"

57. Eraserheads’ Minsan (choral version) — "a nostalgic OPM anthem reimagined in layered SATB harmonies, swelling piano-orchestral textures, and hymn-like dynamics that turn dorm-room memory into a solemn, collective farewell"

58. Circle of Life (original Broadway version) — "a grand theatrical Broadway vocal spectacle driven by African-inspired choral chanting, soaring lead belts, and rhythmic percussion that builds from intimate sunrise invocation to full stage-anthem transcendence"

59. Alicia Keys feat. Usher's If I Ain’t Got You — "a stripped, piano-led R&B duet of restrained gospel-inflected vocals and warm, conversational harmonies that slowly swell from intimate confession into a soulful, emotionally luminous exchange"

60. Gavin Creel's Corner in the Sky (from the musical Pippin') — "a soaring Broadway ballad of hope and self-discovery, marked by an uplifting melody, earnest vocals, and a heartfelt yearning to find one's place in the world"

61. Mariah Carey's Vision of Love — "a soaring vocal showcase of melismatic brilliance, whistle-note artistry, and heartfelt longing that redefined modern pop ballad singing"

62. Mariah Carey's Love Takes Time — "a tender slow-burn ballad of aching regret and emotional vulnerability, carried by Mariah's crystalline tone and effortless vocal control"

63. Zayn Malik and Zhavia Ward's — A Whole New World
— "a lush modern reimagining of the Disney classic, blending contemporary pop textures with soaring romantic harmonies and cinematic grandeur"

64. Lea Salonga's A Whole New World — "a timeless Disney masterpiece elevated by Lea's pure, bell-like soprano, graceful phrasing, and enchanting sense of wonder"

65. Whitney Houston's Where Do Broken Hearts Go — "a sweeping power ballad of love lost and rediscovered, distinguished by Whitney's majestic vocal command, emotional depth, and soaring climactic delivery"

66. South Border's Ikaw Nga — "a lush, uplifting OPM ballad with soaring melodic lines and smooth, polished harmonies that swell into an anthem of enduring love and loyalty"

67. Rodel Naval's Lumayo Ka Man sa Akin — "a tender, aching ballad carried by warm vocal phrasing and restrained orchestration that deepens its quiet emotional pull"

68. Rodel Naval's Muli — "a reflective, nostalgic slow-burn with soft piano textures and a vocal delivery steeped in longing and gentle regret"

69. Richard Reynoso's Paminsan-Minsan — "a silky, sentimental OPM classic defined by smooth crooning, steady rhythm, and an understated romantic ache"

70. Nonoy Zuñiga's Never Ever Say Goodbye — "a deeply emotional ballad with rich baritone warmth, gradual orchestral rise, and a sustained sense of farewell and devotion"

71. Dianne Reeves's Better Days — "a soulful jazz-leaning anthem with refined vocal control, gospel undertones, and a hopeful, uplifting emotional arc"

72. Earth, Wind & Fire's After the Love Has Gone — "a smooth R&B ballad marked by impeccable vocal layering, lush harmonies, and a slow, elegiac emotional descent"

73. Larry Graham's One in a Million You — "a soft, devotional love ballad driven by warm vocals, gentle groove, and intimate romantic sincerity"

74. Dionne Warwick's I’ll Never Love This Way Again — "a polished pop ballad with crystal-clear phrasing, orchestral sweep, and a bittersweet sense of closure and reflection"

(Note: texts wrapped in quotes AI-assisted)

posted by Resty Odon  # 3:04 PM 0 Comments

 Kasi ang pamangkin,

posted by Resty Odon  # 3:25 PM 0 Comments

 A BEAUTIFUL ACT OF CONTRITION

posted by Resty Odon  # 3:18 PM 0 Comments

Bayambang: A Town of Miracles

A new page on FB asks, "Bakit ka proud maging Bayambangueño?" (Why are you proud to be Bayambangueño?)

The innocuous-sounding question made me stop for a moment. "Will I approach the query historically, anthropologically/culturally, sociologically, politically, or generally, as in in terms of current events?" 

I've been volunteering nonstop for the town's continuous culture mapping project ever since when, and this means I have handled the first three aspects ad nauseam. 

Part of my creative process is praying to the Holy Spirit for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding because I know I am not as smart and quick-witted as I would like to be. Ang next is sleeping, so I prayerfully slept over the question, so my brain could sort things out while on detox mode. "Maybe I should answer the question differently this time?"

Again, why should I be proud? Should I be, in the first place? 

I didn't even have to go on a silent retreat to search my heart for the answer. Before, the answer would have been a steely and resounding no, for so many reasons. But today, it would be a big fat yes!

I am proud because, if only people had seen what came before, they could easily tell the difference. The word 'leapfrog' comes to mind, when you consider how this town has changed at an unbelievable pace in an unprecedented way. But the word 'miracle,' often associated with religious apparitions and stuff, is even better. 

I am not kidding. I only use hyperbole for comic purposes, not when I am serious.

I can never forget when I came back here from Manila in August of 2016. I was hired by renowed businessman and anthropologist Cezar T. Quiambao as his PIO. I didn't know him from Adam, but I had heard only good words about him. 

The first things I noticed is this: When Mayor Quiambao discovered the amount of the 20% Development Fund earmarked for barangay infrastructure projects, he was so surprised there was even such amount of financial resource. The first thing he did was to order the construction and renovation of core local access roads, farm-to-market roads, covered courts, barangay halls, police precincts, talipapas, stages, and even waiting sheds. A 911-like emergency respose system. A fleet of never-before-seen responder vehicles including aluminum boats. ...Not to mention, on the side, the construction and renovation of chapels and private homes using his personal funds. No one can contest these claims--I was his reporter, and every single one of them was documented and reported on social media and other platforms.

For the first time, residents saw and felt their local government en masse instead of in bits and pieces and here and there--an in an apolitical way too. I have no idea how the municipal engineer at the time managed to survive everything.

Why would a successful Bayambangueño businessman from Indonesia responsible for BOT projects as the Skyway do this? He's not even a politician. What's in it for him? Detractors insist it's all about business, a predatory desire to turn the town into his own business hub for personal gain. This claim has struck me as odd from the get-go. He was already rich long before that, he doesn't need the additional wealth. As far as Maslow (1934) is concerned, he was already on payback mode of self-actualization. Much later, this would be confirmed when I heard him say during a forum, "Hindi naman lahat nabibili ng pera."

But wait, wait, wait. What's wrong with business? With being entrepreneurial? Is it innately evil? Ah could it be that what they were saying is that it is wrong to be a politician and a businessman at the same time. But then there are rules and requirements to abide by when it comes to that.

The perfervid infrastructure development in what was once dirt road country was just the start. Up next were other big projects that would be of great benefit to the pullulating hoi polloi: an air-conditioned events center that doubled as basketball court with tarraflex rubber flooring, a tricycle terminal cum bagaskan, a proper bus terminal, a major renovation of the public market. To tag him as elitist at this point is most puzzling. Quiambao may be rich, but he wasn't born with a silver spoon. He started out small as office runner and even worked on the side as a jeepney driver, for Pete's sake, and his parents were of equally humble station all along: they were public market proprietors.

Not content with infra and with his wife Niña Jose's (yes, the artista) full support, Quimbao sought to change the LGU from within by making institutional adjustments and changes. 

Focusing especially on education, he surprised everyone by donating his annual salary to the Special Education Fund, the fund used for all sorts of educational need and services.

He reconstituted the BAC and set business-level standards and transparency and self-auditing mechanisms using the full benefits of ICT. He created new necessary departments and units, and reconvened and reconstituted dozens of special bodies for participatory governance. He updated the CLUP with the help of world-renowed urban planner Palafox Associates--who would have thought?

Then he launched an ambitious (because multi-dimensional) anti-poverty plan of action and actually acted on it, unprecedented not just in the annals of the town but also in the country. And yet, what would some say about all this? Among other things, that he was a landgrabber! By this time, the accusation was head-shakingly laughable even though it sure hurt, both personally and politically.

Imagine aspiring great, because real, change for your town, and be cut down to being an opportunist pest out to grab other people's real property. How inspiring, right? And yet, even though much aggravated, even perturbed, he bore the cross and thorn of Christ (the original innocent one accused) and trudged on in his fight against poverty even with a heavy heart.

Soon, Quiambao found that local government resources are much limited. He had to resort to personal resources to make things happen beyond humble LGU means. In terms of tourism, Bayambang had almost nothing. He had to contrive or devise something together with wife Niña and tourism officer, Rafael Saygo. It is to Niña's credit that the tallest supported bamboo sculpture in the world was built at record speed in honor of St. Vincnt Ferrer, the patron saint of builders and himself a renowned miracle worker. The area is now a pilgrim magnet and to quote Saygo, "breakfast capital" for vacationers traveling this side of Luzon. At the time, I was, in fact, incredulous, laughing, shaking my head.  

Soon, he would have other previously unthinkable big-ticket projects rising before our eyes. An additional events place (Pavilions I & II at St. Vincent Ferrer Prayer Park), post-harvest complex by AILC. A tertiary hospital named in honor of a beloved departed son, the Julius K. Quiambao Medical and Wellness Center. A proper theme park, the Blue Sky. A new business hub and town center, BYB Metro. And because education is key to stamping out poverty, a new college for underprivileged students, Bayambang Polytechnic College (BPC). I couldn't believe what was happening in my little town. For instance, where would you be able to find anyone willing to shell out P18,000,000 annually to cover the tuition fees of around 1,000 students of BPC?

Dr. Quiambao was noticeably into so many other 'firsts' big and small. He had this habit of pioneering a lot of things just to test new ideas, and he did it: traffic lights, Broadway-level theater production, official anthem, tourism jingle, official social dance, a farmers' app called E-Agro that helps deliver an assortment of farming assistance at one's fingertips...

Still, he was not yet happy with all of these. His dream is to see the town, even the country, reach the level of Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan... To realize a full-blown business zone employing thousands. ...Full-on industrialization that is mindful of the environment. I wonder whether this desire strikes other people negatively as well. Because there are those who claim that his desire for socioeconomic progress is displacing the poor from their own land. Where is the evidence to this claim, which strikes me as odd because CTQ is foremost a philathropist long before he was a politician. He is known to secretly extend an assortment of help to his friends and the needy, including hospitalization, including non-constituents and most especially to kabaleyans who might not even have voted for him (oh, the irony). 

In 2020, he decided not to finish his term, but instead fielded his wife, another non-politician, into the messy world of politics and public service. Of course, tongues kept on wagging, this time about his wife, the unlikely town chief.

Perhaps people were expecting something like those they have grown to love before. This one proved shockingly unorthodox to their taste. They were too unprepared for a stunningly beautiful, statuesque, and glamorous mestiza with her own ways. Kind but not naive; in fact-straight-talking if needed. They often judge her as bratty and fussy--they expected someone matronly and perhaps peasant-like. I mean, what are the odds of her being mayor? Ha-ha! It's already a miracle that someone like Dr. Quiambao would rise as a politician when it didn't even cross his mind. How much more someone like Niña Jose from the showbiz world, who of course would go on to make history as the first female local chief executive? What a ridiculous turn of events in Bayambang's history. But yes, it actually happened. We all saw it with our own eyes. 

And these two miracle workers have just begun.

And yet others have the gall to think they are power-hungry. Frankly, I don't understand a lot of my own people anymore.

I don't understand all that creatively varied accusations and non-stop animosity being thrown at the town's first couple. I am proud of many other things about my town, but in my book, what I am proud the most today as a Bayambangueño is this: the continuous work output of these two instruments of God's love and mercy for His people, everything they have been doing for the sometimes undeserving and ungrateful people of Bayambang.

posted by Resty Odon  # 8:51 PM 0 Comments

 Ten short but "packed" prayers to the Holy Spirit:

posted by Resty Odon  # 2:34 PM 0 Comments

My Mother: My Family's Treasure

(Epigraph: "Losing one's mother is the hardest thing." - J.T.)

My mother Mildred, my family's most valuable treasure, is gone.

I'm supposed to be a writer, but for the longest time, I couldn't bring myself to write about my own mother. I have long stopped writing about personal matters apart from what I volunteer to say about myself. This is because, for me, personal family matters belong to private concerns and should stay there. I am wary of dealing with details that family members might not be comfortable with revealing in public. I am afraid of making erroneous judgments of motives and character and of ending up with inaccurate, incomplete, or unfair versions of stories.

But if this will be of some help to others, and to help us deal with our profound grief and sense of loss in a natural, healthy way, then I will make an exception. If only to honor the memory of the woman who gave birth to me and the rest of my seven siblings (one stillborn), then so be it.

Of course, I have so many things to say about our Nanay, but I will limit them to the most noticeable ones. Foremost of them is that she is my family's most valuable treasure in so many ways, yet one un-acknowledged and under-appreciated. In our culture, there are things in life that are deemed best left unsaid, and one of them is our instinctively deep love and fondness for our mother, the flesh of our flesh, the blood of our blood.

1. My mother was my first teacher. Long before my teachers in school, she was the one who taught me the ABC and love for reading. I grew up knowing how much my mother loved reading, for she had collections of a variety of magazines, from Liwayway to Health & Home, Women's, etc.

2. By word and deed, she taught me and my siblings how to be a good and decent person. She was kind by nature, something that I specially took after. Naging mabait akong tao at may takot sa Diyos dahil sa kanya.

3. She was my family's all-around person in the house. Linis, laba, luto, lahat na. My father Romeo had always been the better cook, so when he died in 2021, my mother had to step in by doing something she wasn't the best at. We as a society often dismiss a housewife or housekeeper, or even senior citizens for that matter, as a non-productive role, a non-job or non-employment status, but economically and sociologically, her role in keeping things together at home is most valuable, financially unquantifiable.

3. Yet my mother was not just a 'homemaker.' She actually directly contributed to the economy by being an MSME proprietor. My mother studied in high school at the Aparri Institute of Technology. Then she took up Dressmaking at a vocational school (can't remember which one) in Manila, but all throughout her life, she occupied herself on the side by being a sari-sari store owner and operator.

Originally from Aparri, Cagayan, it was in Pandacan, Manila where she met my father, an auto mechanic and jeepney driver. Due to life circumstances, they eloped. Ayon sa mga tita ko sa kanyang side (Borromeo, Cabusi, Peralta, Simon -- the Cagayanos I have yet to meet), itinanan ng tatay ko and nanay ko, at malamang, doon na 'ko nabuo.

(Old folks in Bayambang, my father's hometown, keep on saying, "Mayaman ang mga Odon. Maraming lupa." Unfortunately, hindi kami yung side na yun. We were their poorer relations. I am not even familiar with them.)

4. Being an amiable home store operator, my mother was a friend to all. Di ko mabilang ang mga pinautang ng nanay ko sa oras na walang-wala sila. Pag wala nang makain, sa sari-sari ng nanay ko tatakbo. Marami rin sila ng tatay kong tinulungang mga kamag-anak sa panahong walang-wala pa sila. Kahit mahirap ka pala, marami ka pa ring pwedeng matulungan: yung napakaraming mas mahirap pa sa 'yo.

Oftentimes, her kindness was abused, kaya she often got hurt in the process. I learned that mahirap palang maging mabait na tao tulad niya, pero since nature niya ang maging mabait, wala siyang magawa kundi magpakabait.

Because she was a friend to all, halos lahat ng ordinaryong pamilyang tagarito sa sentro ng bayan ng Bayambang, kilala niya at alam niya ang mga family history. Kaya bagay na bagay siya sa trabaho ko sa Municipio as information officer: she is one of my most trusted informants, kasi matagal akong hindi nanirahan sa Bayambang.

5. She's an Ilocano and Ibanag, pero sa tagal niya rito, naging Pangasinense na rin. She was also my constant source of information about the traditional culture of Ilocanos, Ibanags, and Pangasinenses.

6. My mother was a good writer. She wrote well because she wrote straight from the heart. I think I inherited that trait from her as well, at least partly, kasi she's a natural--hindi inaral kundi natural.

7. She also drew well and sang well. At unfortunately, yan ang mga hindi ko namana: ang galing niya sa pagdrawing at ganda ng kanyang pagkanta.

Kahit di siya natapos ng anumang degree sa kolehiyo, she had natural intelligence and was multi-talented.

8. My mother was a health nut, napaka-health-conscious, kaya't masakit sa akin ang nangyari sa kanya. Bigla na lamang nawala dahil sa bad case of stroke, which damaged mismong her brainstem. We always had information sharing, debates and arguments about sugar, resistant starch, collagen, cholesterol -- kung good or bad ba ito, dahil may mga no-carb diet doctors na kumakain ng maraming lechon, sisig, etc. kaya't nakakalito sa aming mga laymen. Laging nagfoforward yan ng mga health tips sa GC naming mag-anak. It strikes me as her way of saying 'I love you' to us, of saying 'I don't want you to suffer pain,' 'I don't want to lose anyone of you.'

9. My mother was always a giver. Of course, she was not perfect. She had some issues na malimit maging cause ng conflict sa amin kasi magkaiba kami ng prinsipyo ukol sa mga pamahiin at iba pang bagay. (She came from a family of Baptists.) But despite our differences in opinion, she was still my mother and I had to respect what she thought.

As everyone can attest, she was, without a question, a good person. For this reason alone, she deserved the best in life. But life, to us, has a way of saying that doing good does not mean it will most assuredly lead you to a good fortune here on earth. God himself didn't promise a rose garden in this life, but assured of it in the life to come. 'Di ko man naibigay ang marangyang buhay sa nanay ko na inaasam ko para sa kanya at sa aming pamilya, I did my best under limited, vastly challenging circumstances because she was most deserving of my love as her firstborn son.

But my foremost prayer to God now is not about material blessings, but for Him to forgive her kung anuman ang mga naging pagkukulang niya sa buhay and to embrace her for us and to welcome her gladly into her eternal home.

Sana mareceive niya sa langit ang lahat ng award, accolade, reward, o recognition na deserve niya ngunit hindi nakuha rito sa lupa.

Like all of those na nakakakilala sa kanya, mamimiss ko ang nanay ko. Ang kanyang maamo at mapagkumbabang mukha, full of gratitude and understanding, ang boses niya at pagkanta, ang kanyang walang katapusang pangaral at paala-ala.

Hindi ko alam kung paano ko imamanage ang siguradong darating na lungkot in case marinig ko bigla ang mga paborito niyang mga kantahin, o matanaw ko lahat ng bagay na associated sa kanya sa bahay.

Mahilig siya sa mga bulaklak at halaman (at sobrang maawain pati sa mga aso at pusa), so I guess lagi ko siyang maaalala sa mga naiwan niya, na ngayon ay ako ang magiging tagapangalaga.

Siguro mamimiss ko rin ang mga munting awayan namin kasi napakaraming pamahiin niyan that alarm me gaya ng maraming Pilipino, even though I know she meant well. Nakakainis din yan minsan kasi laging nakabantay sa aking salt, sugar, oil, at cholesterol intake, at lagi kinokorrect ang aking posture.

Ngunit ang pinakamahalagang mamimiss ko sa kanya ang ay ambag niya sa aming buhay tahanan: ang pag-aaruga at pagpapalaki sa aming lahat na magkakapatid ng buong pagmamahal at halos wala nang itinira para sa kanya. Perpetually overworked yet unpaid, walang kayamanang makakapantay sa kanyang inambag. Even in her last hours, she was devoted to her family doing the most quotidian of chores.

Naalala ko ang sinabi ng isang kaibigan noon. Walang anak ang gustong mawala ang kanyang magulang, lalo na ang ina. But we whom she has left behind just have to accept reality. The best we can do now ay suklian ang lahat ng kanyang mga mabuting nagawa sa pamamagitan ng pagiging mabuting tao at mapagmahal na kapatid at anak, kapwa, at mabuting mamamayan. The best payback we can give her now is to be a treasure ourselves to our family, friends, and community.

***

Nay, maraming salamat po. Mahal na mahal kita. Hindi kita malilimutan. Patawad po sa lahat ng mga naging pagkukulang ko. Kung ano man ako ngayon, utang ko lahat iyon sa inyo ni Tatay at sa Diyos, kaya ibinabalik ko ang lahat ng papuri at parangal. I promise to love and take care of all my siblings and their children the way you did.

You may be gone now--but only on this plane of existence. With you as a soul, I believe, through faith, that you are now more present than ever in our lives. And that we, you children, have gained a most loving intercessor.

I will see you in heaven (but please not too soon).

***

Isa po sanang masigabong palakpakan para sa nanay ko, dahil pang-Miss Universe ang kagandahan ng pagkatao ng nanay ko!

***

On behalf of the family, maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat na nagmahal sa aking butihing ina.

***

Ngayon pa lang, nagpapasalamat na ako sa lahat ng nagdasal, at lalung-lalo na sa mga espesyal na indibidwal na nagrescue sa nanay ko at nagpa-ospital sa kanya sa oras ng pangangailangan: mga kapitbahay ko: Marivic, Benok, Inciong, Mimay, Ate Nenit, Kenneth (sana wala ako nakalimutan). And most especially to Bayambang District Hospital, my immediate superior Paeng (Dr. Rafael L. Saygo), Sir Cezar T. Quiambao, and Ma'am Niña Jose-Quiambao, and the Julius K. Quiambao Medical and Wellness Center. I don't know how to repay you, but I will find a way. To you I also dedicate this writing.

posted by Resty Odon  # 4:49 PM 0 Comments

 Fire Destroys Sacred Buddhist Hall in Japan that Housed 1,200-year 'Eternal Flame'

A nine-story resort hotel building under construction in Angeles City Pampanga collapsed, trapping at least 21 people, mostly workers, and leaving at least one Malaysian tourist from a nearby lodge dead.

Our part of the world braced for a super El Niño. >>> I wonder if desalination plants could help provide water for the home and the farms.

posted by Resty Odon  # 2:19 AM 0 Comments

 Most Common Mispronunciations among Filipinos

posted by Resty Odon  # 1:48 AM 0 Comments

 100 Ways to Do a Mini-Reset Without Breaking the Bank

posted by Resty Odon  # 4:16 AM 0 Comments

 Message to Graduating Class of 2024: “Mabuti na lang Talaga!”

posted by Resty Odon  # 4:13 AM 0 Comments