AVERNES, France—Here in my garden, I sow, I grow, and I remember my mother. She didn’t have a garden. No one did in that part of Manila, but beside our house where the neighbors had the right of way, she planted hardy San Franciscos and greens with heart-shaped leaves (Homalomenas, I now think). Asparagus ferns...
Tag: life
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Dealing with grief over the holidays
Dear Cathy & Mark, Our beloved 72-year-old father died last June of Covid-19. He was generally healthy otherwise. My four siblings and I are devastated by our loss. Our father loved Christmas and always made it a special time for our family. Two of my siblings suggested that we carry on our family traditions as...
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Endless want, endless Christmas
The Christmas holiday season in the Philippines starts in earnest after All Souls’ Day. Gift lists are updated, the holiday-party, vacation and reunion schedules finalized. Weeks prior, the mall and tiangge merchants are already on holiday marketing mode, playing carols to set the mood and reeling in customers with irresistible discount sales. But now is...
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To help ailing children and others disadvantaged
In 2010, moved only by a need to find a job (having been unemployed for more than five years), I accepted the position of executive director of a 40-year-old company called United Way Philippines Inc. (UWPI). At first, I thought it was some pharmaceutical or pyramiding firm. It turned out to be a non government...
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Ensuring a happy end of life for a loved one
Dear Cathy and Mark, My 82-year-old father was recently diagnosed with end-stage heart failure. His doctor informed us that he would likely not survive another year. My mother is 78 and has a number of medical ailments, but overall is in good health. My parents have adequate health insurance to cover my father’s medical care....
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How to make a long-distance relationship work
Dear Cathy and Mark, My boyfriend and I have been together for three years. We officially got together a few months before the pandemic. Thankfully, our love survived it. Recently, he was accepted into a graduate studies program in New York. He will be there for two years. I know we have all the tools...
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Dealing with dad and ‘the long goodbye’
Dear Cathy & Mark, Our 80-year-old father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years ago. Around a year and a half ago, our mother died of Covid-19. At the time of her passing, our dad’s Alzheimer’s was diagnosed to be at a moderate level. It has progressed much since. There are days when he asks where...
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‘Undas’ and life after life (not death)
What’s the meaning or derivation of the local word “Undas,” referred to in English as All Souls’ Day? In Mexico, “Dia de los Muertos” means “Day of the Dead,” which in Tagalog is “Araw ng mga Patay o Namayapa.” In Spain, “honra” means “honor” or “respect”—hence, “to respect or honor the dead.” In the Philippine...
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End of the world? Worry more about our own ‘end’
Actually, it’s a no-brainer. Being cautious about our own “end” (cessation or demise) rather than fretting about the world’s apocalypse is but the more pragmatic option. In all likelihood, our own end will come first than that of the end of the world or the universe. Let’s first qualify the word “end” and why we’re...