RUBY-LEATHER ANNIVERSARY It is our 43rd year of Marital bliss. We have travelled a long rocky road together. A Marital Inventory is in order. It all started as a Whirlwind Wedding quickly followed by one child after another until we successfully contributed five healthy and intelligent offspring to the world. Our business minded eldest son is now happily married and gainfully employed in Sydney, Australia with his Architect wife and four very heal thy and active children. The second, a daughter, is married to a good politician. They now have two healthy, scholarly smart and pretty daughters whose growth are closely monitored by their mother while doing business of her on the side. The middle daughter, a Psychologist based in Toronto, Canada with her hunk, no non-sense Banker husband together with their three daughters and a son who are all in good health and are very active at home and in the school The Third daughter, married to an international school Director is happily staying in the Philippines. She gave up her job to be with her disciplined daughter and son, plus an expected another one soon. Our youngest son is still a bachelor gratefully enjoying his wild freedom and very interesting present status. My wife and I are both very proud of all our children. They are all college graduates, thoughtful and law-abiding. We are grateful that they are our children, our best contribution to the world. What started as a Whirlwind Wedding popularly predicted to last only for a few months is kindly gifted by God with a whirlwind of blessings. That is why every day we thank, praise adore and glorify God for the countless blessings He is continuously showering us . Last night, our youngest daughter’s family treated us to an impromptu dinner. jett e. avinante, m.d. (1-13-13)

THE DAY AFTER I woke up blankly wondering what hit me the other day. Well, it was my birthday, so what? It happens every year. But this birthday was entirely different. I was alone since my wife was in Manila to attend a Rubi Wedding Anniversary. I quickly dressed up to attend the early Mass just to discover that there was no early Mass as it was a Wednesday and the Mass was in the afternoon after Mother of Perpetual Help Novena. The next best thing I thought was to open the TV until a found a channel were Mass was being said. It fulfilled my first Birthday wish. I took my breakfast all by myself then proceeded to my favorite Netcafe to do my routine. I discovered many greeters as well as in my cell phone. Back to the house I instructed my gardener to buy one chicken and cook ‘arroz caldo’ just in case anybody comes around for whatever reason. It was somewhat ironic that for the first time our former housemate failed to gift me with live chicken to be killed in exchange for my life. Since my wife was far away she wasn’t able to cook ‘pancit’ for ‘my long life’. Smilingly I wondered if this would be my last birthday as no chicken was killed to exchange for my life and no pancit was cooked to stimulate the extension of my life. But of course I don’t believe in superstition. Surprisingly, not even one greeted me verbally, a sign that machine can someday substitute for human actions. No one but no one even accidentally happened to pass by our house, so, come lunchtime my helper and me celebrated my birthday with a bowl each of ‘arroz caldo’. After going to my daily siesta, my gardener and I took another bowl of our afternoon snack at around 3:00p.m. I had the chance of my life to read the whole newspaper but the stories were as boring as my birthday. It was 10:00p.m. when my wife arrived from Manila quite tired to take a taste of my especial ‘arroz caldo’ until breakfast time the following morning. Now do you understand why I woke up feeling blank? And don’t argue that what I experienced was just another senior moment. Here in the Philippines it is fun to grow old.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES It has been agreed upon. Our two daughters who were with their families here in the Philippines would spend Christmas Eve with us in the province, together with our Bachelor son who, again surprised us direct from Australia. Came New Years Eve my wife and I were ready to meet the New Year alone together. Our Bachelor son was expected to be with his friends then to my daughters family at BF Homes. After having been loaded with heavy foods during the Christmas gathering and not expecting any coming visitors, we decided to hide inside the refrigerator all the untouched left-over foods and fruits after agreeing with each other that nothing but plain rice and fried dried ‘danggit’ fish which that time was a gustatory treasure after the Christmas extravagance, would be on the table. On display were only two melons and one ripe pineapple. We started our lunch without any special expectation when suddenly our Bachelor son again surprised us from nowhere. (He has been surprising us every now and then, possibly preparing us for bigger and more pleasant surprise). The setting he saw with my wife and I sharing plain rice and fried ‘danggit’ fish must have touched my son so much that for a moment he was speechless. We told him we reserved our roasted chicken to go with red wine for the Midnight dinner. All our helpers were on vacation too with their own families so my wife and I divided the work between us. I realized how tired our helpers got while doing their daily chores. I also got a firsthand picture of the clear panorama filling our inner vision as we continue aging away from our offspring. I attended the anticipated New Year’s Eve Mass while my wife stayed at home to to have good rest as she also ‘guarded’ the house. After the Mass I lighted a big candle plus seven colorful little ones for prosperity. When the Church bells signaled the coming of the New Year I opened the gate to welcome it as I lighted several ‘luces’ alone, one after another while my wife also lighted the others at the open terrace where she stayed alone to guard the foods against the hungry cats. Then, with red wine, roasted chicken and some other goodies we ate together both contemplating silently the tragedy and fun of senior moments. I told my wife the so many things we must Thank God. Five healthy grown-up children, four children-in-law, one bachelor son who were all college graduates and were gainfully employed plus twelve normal and healthy grandchildren growing happily like little angels, we couldn’t ask for more, although an additional daughter-in-law and endless number of grandchildren coming our way were all welcome. We can leave this world with smile. (January 4, 2013)