Introduction
Today is the first day of December 2021, Wednesday . It's 24 more days to go before Christmas Day. And I am apt to think of my previous experiences I had pertaining to Christmas celebrations before pandemic situation.
Year 2014 - My saddest year of celebrating Christmas
It's the saddest memories of Christmas ever to me because it was the year of my widowhood. It was the third day of December that my husband went home to the Lord. It was a sudden & unexpected death. He had the first time high blood pressure attack that caused him in coma, just for one day and he died. Allow me not to go in details of it anymore, for it was still painful for me to recall everything about it. His death was so painful because it was so sudden, I wasn't prepared for his departure.
Year 2016 - In Pampanga - Christmas Celebration with my older sister, who became a widow that year
October 2016 my brother in law died in Canada and was cremated. First week of December , my older sister arrived with her daughter and grandson with my brother in law's ashes to be buried here in Pampanga, his hometown, in Manibaug Cemetery. Necrological service was done in their vacation house before the interment.
After the interment of the ashes they stayed yet to celebrate the holiday season with us. And this was the last Christmas celebration I had with my older sister because the following years she was not able to take her vacation because she could not anymore travel alone because of her Alzheimer disease. The celebration was full of excitement and fun. Most of the relatives of my brother in law joined the celebration.
Year 2018 - In Nueva Ecija - Christmas Celebration with my PWD sister & older son
After 3 years of stay in Pampanga as a care taker of the vacation house of my older sister, I went back home to our hometown in Nueva Ecija. The vacation house then was left in the care of my brother in law's siblings who lived near it. My three year stay in Pampanga somehow had helped me moved on with my widowhood. My time then was focused on my responsibility in taking care of my youngest sister who is a PWD. I was the one who is available at that time to take care of her so I took the responsibility.
Year 2019 - In Caloocan celebrated Christmas with my eldest daughter & family .
February 2019, I was requested by my eldest daughter to live with them in Caloocan City , for she needs my help, because she will be giving birth to her second child. She is a working mother at that time so I will be taking care of the kids while she is at work. So my PWD sister was left in the care of my younger sister who was now available to care because she has filed an early retirement from her work.
Year 2020 - In Pasay City Celebrated New Year with my youngest son and his family
Desiring to meet my youngest son and my two grandchildren I called my son telling him that I like to spend the New Year with them. I told my son to meet me at LRT EDSA Station since I do not remember their place though I have been there thrice. Since their place was near Mall of Asia (MOA) and I have not been there yet , I requested them to spend the New Year's Day there altogether. So we went there and we had a very memorable New Year bonding . I took some photos for a remembrance using the cp OPPO A5S which was my Christmas gift received from my daughter in law.
Then came the unexpected , unforgettable pandemic situation, March , 2020. No one have imagined it's devastating effects nationwide that many places in the country nationwide was put in a lockdown - Enhance Community Quarantine to start with.
Going through the pandemic situation was so difficult being in a lockdown situation. Only one person in every family was given a Quarantine pass as allowed to go outside the house to buy necessities. there was curfew , no other person was allowed to go to other baranggay. There were no work, business establishments were closed, no public transportations were allowed . There were so many restrictions that need to be observed not just for a day, weeks or months but more than a year to be observed. Somehow the government gave financial and food assistance that temporary helped for survival just for a short period of time at the least.
Dec. 25, 2020 - Pandemic Christmas Celebration
We celebrated the Christmas just inside the house. Having just few set of food that we can afford to have and an ayuda coming from baranggay a pasta & ingredients.
My final say:
In our journey in life, there are really various experiences that we have to go through for good reasons and purpose God wants to accomplish in our lives.
The joy, happiness, sorrows, griefs, pain, sufferings, problems and difficulties we face in our lives were allowed by God not to make us bitter but a better person .
There are many things , I learned, and realized in all my experiences. And I am thankful that God is with me through it all. He never did leave me nor forsake me in my time of sorrows, griefs, pain and sufferings. He gives me comfort and hope as always. He protects and provides my needs in order for me to survive even at this very moment.
He directed me to places and persons and used me to ba a blessing to them at the very least that I could be out of the best things that I could offer as God by his grace had given me.
Thanks again for giving your time in reading my article . I just hope you have been blessed in any way.
Dec. 1, 2021 - Wednesday 9:51 pm
