six feet under...and what joy it brings

happy all souls day. i wonder why happy? such a weird greeting when it reminds us that many people are dead. maybe this means that all the souls are happy every halloween because know they are the greater source that influence the members of their clan to get together. one way or another. hehe. even for just a short time and amongst burning candles, over-fragrant flowers and tons of home-made delicious food. this has always been the case with my family. it has been our tradition to visit the resting place of my lolo isidoro every all souls day in binangonan, rizal. my sisters and i always try to make up excuses not to go because of the long trip and the feeling of just wasting our precious vacation time. (how mean of us..i know..) but of course in the end, my mom and some unknown force always prevail. we know we really have to go this year. we are visiting not only my lolo but also my uncle who passed away just a few months ago. they said that my uncle has always been the black sheep of the family. he left home and my lolo has always been mad at him. but when my lolo died, i know my uncle has already been forgiven. and now their tombstones lay side-by-side. six feet under, and at peace with each other at last. quite a family reunion for me. i get to be with my titas,titos and lola. i get to meet my cousin's new wife. and his toddler daughter naiza. and then more cousins. or so i thought. coz i just found out that my cousins gerald and keanna are really not my cousins at all. they are my nephew and niece. their mom is my first cousin pala. so that already makes me their tita. wow, imagine me an auntie! i feel so old. hehe. with niece keanna & nephew gerald =D anyway, one of the best parts of this social event was the food. lola's ginatang bilo-bilo was the specialty of the day. aside from that, there was pansit, tilapya, palitaw, puto,and other filipino foods. but of course, mom's non-native carbonara was also on top of the list. we ate til we cant't speak no more. after that we rested, looked around the cemetery and prayed for my lolo and uncle's eternal repose. and then it was time to go. but due to lola's insistence, before we left, we ate some more. and there was still pabaon from her on the way home. lola's a real gem. (she so sweet and honest..after a hug and a pinch in our tummys, she proudly calls us her "gwapas");D well, i had a great time this year. we did a lot of catching up with our relatives. we shared a lot of stories. took care of the little ones. pigged-out together. even played with the burning candles on lolo's tomb. i know my sisters had fun also. i guess we just always forget how we truly enjoy these gatherings. maybe after noting it down, we will remember not to make excuses again for the next coming years. so,to the generations of children, to the dead and the living, a toast to our family's tradition. happy halloween.