Plans Thwarted....

This 2020, my husband and I planned to do a lot of travelling.....

 

First, we bought tickets for May as early as 2019, together with our daughter Martha to go to New Zealand for my daughter Marion’s (Martha’s twin) graduation. My daughter Marion went to New Zealand three years ago to further her studies on disaster management. Since this would be our first time to go the country, we also arranged a tour from Auckland to Wellington. We did plan this trip to visit Marion towards the end of her studies, so as not to distract her from her many works and commitments. But unfortunately this covid disease side steps all our plans.
But God is tremendously kind to us, and the good news is, my daughter Marion successfully defended her thesis on March 20 (on her birthday). And she was also further nominated for the university dean’s list. Yay! This was great. I did not mind that our flight to New Zealand was cancelled, nor minded that Marion’s graduation ceremony was not going to happen. I was simply overjoyed by the mere fact that she had passed and was recognized. Thank you dear Lord! The most important thing is she has already hurdled her doctorate degree and has an on going research work with the university. I don’t mind not being able to travel to New Zealand. Thank you dear Lord. Do keep her safe always.

Secondly, I booked a flight to Manila with my husband in February to attend the wedding of my niece Jacy and at the same time to visit my daughter Martha in Manila. But two days before my intended flight, I personally cancelled our trip because I was scared to take the plane ride with an unknown virus. 

Third, thinking that things would become better by March, I planned to go to Manila before March 20 with my husband to visit Martha, on her birthday and to attend the engagement party and ceremony of my nephew Miguel, subsequently his wedding to take place in September this year. But the contamination of the virus was getting out of hand and President Duterte declared a community quarantine for Metro Manila and the whole of Luzon starting March 15. My brother Wilson also cancelled the engagement party a week before the event because the parents of the intended bethroded girl were sick with suspicion of the dreaded disease. Thankfully they recovered, the father from pneumonia and the mother from mild symptoms. Joyce the fiancée of my nephew was tested negative. While thankfully, somehow prior to the engagement, Miguel had an earlier distancing, due to some Chinese custom of not meeting his girlfriend for 15 days prior to the engagement proper. Thank God for sparing and protecting everybody. Thank you O Lord.

Fourth, my eldest sister Imelda’s (Theng Theng) husband passed away from a lingering illness on March 11 in Manila. I did not go to Manila to condole and console my sister, because again I was scared to take the plane ride. I spoke to her over the phone, and reiterated that she should take care of herself. As you know my sister is now suffering from Alzheimer. After the burial of her husband, she went to stay with her sister-in-law for few days. Unfortunately, her sister-in-law did not know how to handle her, and my sister Imelda’s (Theng Theng) son, quickly and conveniently transferred my sister to a senile home, during this time of the covid lockdown, without consulting us siblings. We the siblings want to take her out but this covid lockdown and scare is hampering our efforts. We can not even visit her to know her real condition. I talked to her once but briefly, and twice with her nurse. We have no way of really knowing her current situation. I hope this covid ends soon, so we can get to visit her, or take her home to any of our own siblings’ houses.

Fifth, early on, since last year, my husband Lucas, my daughter Martha and I talked about going to USA sometime around the fall season, in August or September; to visit foremostly my son Roy in Seattle, and then fly to Virginia to see my husband’s brother, Dr. Domingo Tan and his wife Jackie. The Tans intended to do a small family reunion in Virginia. We will be meeting there with My husband’s second eldest brother Dr. Antonio Tan and his wife Peckha from Canada, and younger sister Lehua Lim from Los Angeles. But all these are forsaken now, because we have to stay home, stay put and not endanger our lives, nor other people lives as well. When this shall all be over and behind us, I think I will be scared to travel. O Lord have mercy us and the whole world.

Paranoia

I was a paranoid before, but I get even crazier ever since this disease of the covid 19 begun. As early as the first week of February, I had already lockdown my second home in Manila from visitors. I also cancelled my flight to Manila to attend the wedding of my niece in February. I was scared to be confined together with my 80 year old husband inside the airplane with an unknown carrier. Yet I attended my class reunion (with caution) in Davao on February 27 to March 1st. The “exclusively for classmates only” event was carefully planned. We booked our stay at Paradise Island Resort which had a wide open-air space and big beach area and few foreign tourists to boot too. My travel from Cotabato to Davao was via land, in a private van (Toyota super grandia). The Cotabato contingent was composed of 5 healthy classmates; thanks to Gerry Tan, who was classmate, driver and owner of the vehicle all over. Hehehe. But we can never be sure, that after basking from the sun and the sea, whom might we get in contact with when we transferred venue from the Paradise Islands to Abreeza Seda Hotel, which we also included a day tour to Malagos Farm. We - meaning 22 former classmates, all of the age of 68, 69 and/or 70. We were not all healthy, two had suffered stroke and both walked with difficulty; one classmate was asthmatic with heart palpitation, one went through knee replacement (but thankfully she was walking a lot better now), one had concurrent prostate problem, another with heart palpitation and bladder issues, and two boys who were still chain smoking. It was a good thing Davao was strict with no smoking rule, hence they had to leave us to go somewhere else to smoke. Hehe. It was a successful reunion though. Not much fun fare except to get together and keep in touch. But I was wary and scared about other people all through out the time. Nobody was wearing mask as of yet.

When I came back home to Cotabato, my best friends Imelda Bugayong and Anita Go together with Imelda’s husband Arthuro came back home with me. They were my house guests. I hosted them and brought them around Cotabato. I took care that we did not go to crowded places too. They stayed with me for three days and two nights. When they left, I was kind of feeling exhausted. My throat was strained from talking too much. My voice became hoarse. I was so scared that I might be sick. I counted the days after my best friends left since March 4. Thankfully everybody from our reunion arrived home safe and sound, including me.
But I was concerned about my son Roy in Seattle, my daughter Martha in Manila. They were in the hot spot areas. It was a good thing that President Duterte declared a quarantine early-on starting March 15, but early wasn’t early enough. Many people had already travelled and confirmed cases had reached Mindanao even Cotabato City. I had forbidden my maids to go out even before the national quarantine was declared. I gave them small bottles of alcohol and/or hand sanitizer each, gave them money to buy two cloth masks per person, to wear mask when they go to the market, to wash their hands before entering the house, etc, etc.
One night, I shedded tears over a person on tv who was in anguished because his father died from covid 19. He was distressed for his father had to die alone. He was so broken hearted because he could not even hug nor console his mother. I was so much troubled after listening to the story. After which I got scared later, because I realized I was suddenly not able to breathe well. I felt I was not breathing normally. All fearful thoughts came to my mind. But my practical sense told me that maybe  I was hyper ventilating, or maybe my nose clogged-up after crying. I tried to calm down. I did a simple in and out breathing exercise. I played my iPad solitaire game until one o’clock in the morning until I thought my breathing became normalized again. Then I fell asleep. I was so thankful the next day to wake up normal. I prayed for God to not let this fear consume me. Have mercy on me O Lord, have mercy on us, and have mercy on the whole world.

Palm Sunday.....

Few days before Palm Sunday, I was frantically looking for the right tv channel and church instructions on how to attend and participate the Palm Sunday mass on air.

Every Sunday, I usually follow the schedule of the Manila Cathedral mass at 10 o'clock in the morning which is done in Tagalog. But since it is the Palm Sunday, I am hoping to look for something that is in English instead. So far, my archdiocese and parish here in Cotabato are not able to live stream their masses yet. Sometimes they do, but they don’t have previous announcements and schedules to follow regularly.

So just then while browsing the net, our parish priest Father Simeon Samson sent feelers for those who wanted to have their palm leaves blessed, to forward them to the church. I had palm leaves at my lot, so I sent some to be blessed. But they could be retrieved back on Tuesday yet. In the mean time, what was I supposed to do while attending Palm Sunday mass on tv? Shouldn’t I have some palms with me as well? In anticipation though, I brought down three potted palmeras plants from my roof top garden to my living room. And then, thankfully, on the eve of Palm Sunday, our retired Cardinal Orlando Quevedo notified the faithful, that we can have palm leaves or any green leafy branches ready at hand while attending masses on air or online. The blessing of the palms accordingly is done during the reading of the gospel. We can hold them in our hands during the blessing which is done before the start of the mass. After learning about it, I went to the group chat of the MMLC ladies and other friends to help them out, (specially my sister Jeannette Yu) regarding the processes of the mass. For the Catholics, this Palm Sunday begins the observance of the Holy Week season, until Easter. So I happily cut the branches of my potted palmeras plants for this event, even distributed it among my house helps who joined us. Thankfully the mass at the Manila Cathedral that Sunday was in English.

The palm if you must know is a symbol of our joyous welcoming of Jesus Christ as our king. This time it is even made more meaningful, as we faithfully welcome Jesus to come into our homes and into our lives.

In preparation for my Palm Sunday mass.

 We joyfully welcome you Jesus to our homes.

 Martha’s palm leaves put together with the Lourdes’ mementos in Manila.

Marion’s palm leaves in New Zealand.

We attended the Manila Cathedral’s on air and on line mass at the same time.