OUR LAST CHRISTMAS WITH HIM

  

 It was on December 8, 2010 around 6:45 pm, " tick tock tick tock''..."dear, only time is what we are waiting, the doctor said only a miracle could make your lolo's life last for the next 24 hours" my stepmother said when I was talking to her through phone. I was the only one left in our apartment here in Manila because she had to go back to our province on the day that my lolo was rushed into the hospital. "How I wish I am there to accompany you, but I'm sorry mom, I cannot sacrifice my school and I still have to finish some requirements that I need to submit before the Christmas break" I said. "No dear, you should attend your classes no matter what, your uncles and aunties are here for me so you don't have to worry. I know how much you value your studies so there's no reason to blame you for not being here." Because I was working on my homeworks that time, I had to end up our conversation for a while and finish what I am doing. I was not worrying that time and I cannot even cry because I'm hoping that I can finish all my stuffs that night so that I could go to the hospital on the next day to see, hug and talk to my lolo before he dies. But with that plan, I failed. Fifteen minutes after I put down the phone, I received a message from my mom. A message that no one would like to receive. Yes, it's a message telling me that my beloved "Tatay", the old man who treated me like his own granddaughter already passed away.

   Before that tragic event happened, I and my mom had already plan what kind of christmas celebration are we going to have. And the plan was instead of celebrating christmas in the province, we will try the "CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY"! It's supposed to be our first Christmas away from our lolo and lola. Before that decision, we asked him in advance if it's ok to him, and he answered yes. He knows that time that we also have reason why we cannot celebrate christmas in Zambales. But it didn't happen and we all had to go back to our hometown.

   It was 22 days of mourning for his remains was kept from the time he passed away until the 29th of December as we had to wait patiently for my father to come home. For this reason, we had to celebrate christmas grieving for our lost and probably the lonliest Christmas we have ever had so far for it is our first time to lose one family member exactly on the month that the whole world is enjoying. Yet, we tried to celebrate Christmas happily for we recall the birth of Christ who is our saviour and we managed to do it somehow. We tried to make the most out of it, we cooked his favorite foods for Noche Buena and prepared everything that he wanted during Christmas when he was still living. But honestly, no matter how we tried, we cannot change the fact that he's already gone and that Christmas was "OUR LAST CHRISTMAS WITH HIM"

+RIP+

PEDRO A. CANONIZADO

BORN: OCTOBER 19, 1949

DIED: DECEMBER 8, 2010