“One of the greatest titles in the world is parent, and one of the biggest blessings in the world is to have parents to call mom and dad.” – Jim DeMint
In as much as I can remember….
My mum and dad met during The Japanese invasion of the Philippines. According to my mum… She was by the large capiz window of their home, when my dad saw her while he drove by and was right away smitten by her beauty. Haha that was her side of the story which she told us over and over again. My dad was a part of the guerilla force then and he had the authority to make sure that my mother’s house was always safe. And that was the start of a great love story …and as my dad said on his memoir: He “loved her Longer than Forever”.
This was my mommy … she was very charming and pretty and as the saying goes, she was the “belle of the ball” as a young lady. According to stories told by my aunties and dad, she was always chosen as the muse of basketball teams ( In Filipino basketball culture, muses are females who whip up support for their teams at tournament openings.) She often became the Reyna Elena in festivals in the Philippines. (The final character in the lengthy procession of participants representing historical and religious figures, Reyna Elena!)
But for me she is my mum, a stay at home parent who did all the household chores and kept the family together. I still remember her doing everything that she can to provide us our dinner even when our whole house was flooded and all of us children were upstairs and she was down with her gumboots preparing our food. Another memory which I still vividly remember was when I had the case of the chicken pox. I was isolated but she brought food for me and talked to me and watched TV with me and she made me feel so much loved.
And my daddy for as long as I can remember had always been the provider for the family. He is an ADman, working as an artist, painter and Art Director for various companies.
All by hand… no Photoshop yet!
And before he passed away, my Dad wrote his memoir which was hand written. It was from him that I got my perfect handwriting if I should say so myself.
My mum and dad were not as showy with their affection to us, their children (like most parents were at that time), so different from what we are now to our own kids. But I knew they were always there for us and I know that up to now they are still watching over us. Love you mommy and daddy…til we meet again! ❤️❤️
That’s gorgeous Teresa
How talented was your dad and your mum what a beauty
Such an interesting history of your parents
Thanks so much Ali for reading my parent’s story. I just want to put it in black and white so my kids can have a look at it now or in the future. It will forever be accessible.
That’s a wonderful idea. My dad wrote his a few years ago and I typed it up and had it made into a small book.
Oh that is nice!
A very nice tribute to your parents!
Thanks so much. I want their story to be documented.
What a lovely story and yes, your Mum is a real beauty – you Dad is quite a looker too! You are so lucky to have these photographs by which to remember a lovely couple, and your memories are so vivid. It was a pleasure to read such an absorbing story and to be able to place you in your background. Now maybe you should start writing your Memoirs for your children before recall becomes difficult!
That is a scary thought. Well, I started doing this blog primarily to leave something to my kids. I write stuff about our family and how I feel about them so I feel that is something that they can remember me by. I don’t think I can write a real memoir as I am not good in writing. Thanks Maris for stopping by.
Lovely memories of your parents!
Thanks so much! This is just a little bit that I was able to take with me from back home in the Philippines.
What a wonderful story to share with us.
Thanks for the kind words. 😍
Your mother is a beauty and father is so very talented. Thank you for sharing these precious photos with us. Wonderful stories, Teresa.
Thanks so much Amy, was sitting at home and thinking of them yesterday and missing them.
Beautiful tribute! What a lovely story about your parents. I miss my parents too. But I can’t go to see my mom because of the pandemic. Hope the vaccines can bring us out of the dark tunnel soon!
I hope so too. So much hardship the pandemic has brought to the whole world. 🥲