| Subject: Manang Puring's 70th Birthday Celebration |
Author:
Aie
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 07:35:25 03/08/03 Sat
Hi everyone!
Agurayak pay koma iti reactions iti naudi nga sinurat ko sakbay nga agsuratak manen, ngem awan met la ti mauray kon. Pangngaasiyo man met ta uray one liners laeng tapno ammok no adda pay agbasbasa.
I just got back from the Ramos Farm in Natividad for Manang Puring's 70th birthday celebration. Guess who's in town? BOY T. !!!! What a pleasant surpise for all of us. Saan nga mabigbig nga dagus daguiti dadduma ta idi imbagak nga adda ni Boy, ti birbirokenda "nakuttong nga haggard looking" of his '70's signature look. He's here with Lina and Manong Fred with their spouses to attend their school grand homecoming. Isu ti nag-greet representing Manang Puring's former students. Mayat met!
Adda kamin sa amin nga local core group ng Dugong CYF. Dumating si Peps all the way from Macarang, Atilinda from Baguio, Mark and Pros from Nueva Ecija, Emy from Villasis, etc. Siempre nandoon si Sam & Ike Y. Saanko mainaganan amin but it sure was a BIG reunion of sorts.
We got to sing "Pass it on" (kasama si Boy T., siempre, and Manongs Vic, Ped, Eugene, etc.) after ako nagsalita, as part of the Mr. and Mrs. Pedro Ramos Campground launching (Part II of the Program). Part I was a Thanksgiving Service. Part III was the Birthday Program. Ganda ng Choir ng San Nicolas at lahat ng nag-offer ng songs, kasama si Minan R.
Noong Part I, umulan ng malakas so we had to transfer sa main house from the lawn. Hindi lang showers but downpour of blessing. Yong launching, sa lawn na ulit...with a beautiful sunset. Dondon and Dainty ably presided over the birthday program with a backdrop of beautiful Travelers' (?) palms, and overhead, the stars came out one by one. There were some 350 guests (Manang Puring's high school classmates, co-teachers, co-retirees, church leaders/members, dugong CYF, family, etc.) Manang Puring looked stunning in a red native dress.
I spoke for the Dugong CYF. Kopyahin ko dito para kahit papaano, parang nandoon na rin kayo. Dondon asked me to talk about my memories of Manong Bernie and Manang Puring. The middle part, I read during the launching, and the rest during the greetings portion of the birthday program. No bigat, i-send ko diay launching message ni Manong Ped ta i-encode ko pay.
Steve, was it you who was trying to call through my cellphone? I have not been able to receive calls nor text messages for the past week ta addaak ditoy Umingan. Awan ti Globe signal. Idi ag-ring diay Natividad, siakon ti mapan agsao. Sorry, missed it. I'll be in Umingan for another week ta adda palpalpasek nga Management Manual. So please use the e-mail or this site. I check my mail every night. Would love to 'hear' from anyone of you.
Cheers!
----------
Manang Puring’s 70th Birthday Celebration
A meaningful International Women’s Day to everyone. I know there could only be one reason why we are all here today. We all love Manang Puring For us Dugong CYF, that goes back a long way. A long way, indeed. So please allow me to read lest I get carried away.
I was there when Manong Bernie made known his undying love to Manang Puring. Aha…. eavesdropping? Sorry to disappoint you but I was barely in my teens then…pure and innocent. A whole camp knew! A whole camp cheered!
It all happened among coconut trees, under a canopy of stars, where the river meets the sea in Parian, Calumbaya, La Union, in the late sixties. Now tell me, Dandan, how could you have done it better with Dainty? Nothing beats that, huh?
Why do I remember quite well? Not the exact date, maybe, but the occasion. It was my very first camp…and I think the very first High School Camp organized by the then Division of Youth Work of the UCCP that Manang Puring headed. I remember that Manang Puring prevailed on my parents for me to attend the camp ….and I wasn’t yet of CYF age! Yes, Manang Puring, my own life-faith journey was "defined" by my going to that particular camp. I went to the camp all by my young lonesome self and I made it! What a rite of passage! That may be another story but I happen to believe that "Nothing happens by chance".
Not the many camps that have come and gone since then. I know that my little story is no longer unique. It has multiplied a hundredfold, may be more, with as many variations for sure. The youth of our days have gone our separate ways, flown to different lands, known other worlds, built other relationships, raised families…. but one thing has remained constant…..the longing to come home to yet another Camp. No longer for ourselves… but for the young ones….to experience their very own "moments in time".
Many more camps will come and go, but in my books, there will be one other camp that will stand above all the rest. The place….a schoolhouse just a stone’s throw away from our Tabita Hideaway in Cacabogaoan. Again I forget the date but not the circumstances. It must have been the mid seventies.
No trees, no sea, no river, no starlit night but a raging storm and 4 concrete walls of an unfinished school room to keep us dry and safe. The unexpected storm took its toll on everyone…the back breaking day-long task of transporting camp gear from the outdoor site to the safer schoolrooms, the shepherding of the rest of the campers through the community exposure, the feeding of hungry and tired campers….. The hour was late, every camper was tired. But the core group had to meet. Emotions were running high. The tension was electric. We were treading on unknown grounds. Separated from the heated discussions only by a row of maletas, Manang Puring was putting Dandan to sleep. Manong Bernie, probably getting worried where the discussion was going, whispered to Manang Puring, "Agap-apadan, you better do something, aganawa ka." Manang Puring, ever sweetly, said, "Baybay-am ida, kaya da dayta." (This exchange we learned about much later from Manong Bernie.) Long before dawn and long before the storm abated, we were singing, hugging and laughing. A make or break moment and we made it! Rite of passage for a group of young people. Manang Puring knew and trusted us enough to allow us to seize the moment. By the way, that core group still stands strong to this day, though in different places. But we have grown and still growing and the original core group now spans several generations of Dugong CYF.
Manang Puring and Manong Bernie brought Dandan to his first Camp when he was barely 2 months old. Someone has yet to break that record! Grandpa Arnel, try again next camp. Little did they know that they started a tradition. You are never too old nor too young, nor married or single to be part of a camp! It’s not the age, folks, it’s the SPIRIT!
If Daisy were around today, I am sure she would like to be in my place. She always said I am much too serious. Allow me to borrow her words from what I call her Opus "My Hideaway". I could never have been more serious myself, could I? (Quote) " I still remember the romance in the eyes of Manang Puring and Pastor Bernie as we sang "Oh, how we danced" as we honored them during their wedding anniversary." (Unquote) Everytime we get together, wherever, whenever is a celebration.
Yes, Manong Bernie and Manang Puring often came to our first Hideaway whenever they were in Manila, and always to celebrate LIFE with us. Today we are in another Hideaway, thanks to Manong Vic and Nel. In this place, the Dugong CYF Foundation was born. And to be here to celebrate with Manang Puring 70 years of a fruitful life unselfishly shared with generations of CYF’ers.…it sure is a BIG one.
Our anchors truly run deep. And they touch base with kindred spirits. Even those who have gone ahead have left enough trails to make us feel their presence still. There are youth camps and family camps everywhere, but there is nothing like a Central Luzon Camp as far as I am concerned. Every Dugong CYF can attest to that.
What started out as one love affair intertwined with so many young lives. I guess all love affairs of the one kind that comes from the Author of life, have one thing in common. They are blessings to others.
Manang Puring, (and Manong Bernie if you are eavesdropping right now), you have shared with us your gifts of life and we want to pass on to others our own.
And so, Manang Puring, like it or not, you are the Honorary Chairperson of the Dugong CYF Foundation, Inc. Now you know…. it’s not because of seniority. Your smile, love, prayers, and ministry of presence……….they keep us going. Happy Birthday.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 