Article #18 March 22, 2022

Do you still believe that blood is ticker than water? Is it really true that a family is always strong and caring, or has it passed us by and we must accept it? I used to believe that the strongest relationships we have are those ones we have inside our relatives. Nothing compares to the joy that family love brings, but I'm beginning to wonder that.

I saw the newest article of sis @Murakamii.7 and mentioned there how her partner's grandma treatment towards him and I can't help but to share my story about that situation too. If you want to read it, just click here.

I have a relative that operates a funeral service. From my father's side, it was owned by my aunt. It is well-known in town since they provide consistently excellent service at a lower cost than the competitors in the market. They used to simply be franchising, I'm not sure if that's the right phrase, but they didn't own the funeral services previously, but because they already knew how to operate a business like that, they decided to start their own.

They were the ones that accompanied my father's funeral in 2014, when he died. They provide and give a good coffin for my father, I remember. If I'm not misinformed, the whole cost is around 25,000 pesos. My mother assumed that because they are siblings, our aunt would offer it for free, and she had never mentioned it before. Months pass, and my aunt reminds my mother that she must pay for the funerals. To prevent conflicts, my mother did not argue and just gave the stated amount. It's a good thing my mother had money left over through the insurance she received in her loan because my father was the beneficiary. We planned to spend that money to repair our house because it was totally obliterated at the time, but we were unable to do so.

I don't hold a grudge towards my aunt since she has the right and we have to pay for it because we are the real family and it is a business. I just can't understand how she told in our neighborhood that she was the one who paid for everything for my father's wake, even the coffin, which we thought was not free. I was simply thinking that if I were in her place, I would gladly provide since we are family and that is how we are. But still maybe it depends on the situation.

I sometimes compare both sides of my mother and father's family. They are different as I can see.

We were without electricity at the time when my father died. Consider how we handled the wake. My father's brother, who lives next door to us, was the only one with electricity at the time, so we convinced him to allow us borrow his' for a short while. He agreed, and all we had to do was give him some payment for the usage.

Nakaburol lang ang papa ko for 6 days instead of 9 days kasi he had diabetes and hindi daw kaya if patagalin pa. Naalala ko nong nilibing namin si Papa and sabi nila ay huwag muna iligpit yung mga gamit sa burol like parang nakaburol padin daw si papa at buuin yung 9 days since yun yung correct days sana. Nakakasad na after ng libing is hindi na sinindi yung ilaw namin kahit alam naman niya yung sabi ng Pari about that.

Imagine how we felt at the moment, but we lacked the courage to ask if we might utilize their electricity for a few days. For such nights, we just light a candle till the 9 days are up. Fortunately, my mother's nieces were present at the time to comfort us, and therefore did not experience any sorrow.

My brother and some of my relatives work with my aunt, who owns and operates a funeral service. Isn't it true that she is attached to her relatives? However, you are wrong. Did you know that they weren't being paid fairly? They filed a complaint with the Department of Labor and pleaded for assistance since my aunt was not paying her employees properly, including my brother and other relatives. To think that their salary is below the minimum wage and that they are still not paid their full wages despite the fact that they work hard.

You wouldn't believe it if I told you that this issue only happens to her relatives and that the other employees who aren't related to her don't have the same problems. That is the extent of my aunt's treatment of her kin. Of course, even if she is your aunt, you would file a complaint in the same way.

Since the pandemic, some of my kin, including my brother, have returned to the business, which is owned by my aunt. My aunt was the one who contacted them because they were short on employees at the time and had a lot of customers. Note that the incident described above occurred many years ago. According to what I've heard, my aunt pays their paychecks on time and in the correct amount, but they are still below the minimum wage. I'm hoping she'll make it minimum compensation because the work is rigorous and her business is rapidly expanding thanks to the hard work of her employees.

Conclusion

I therefore conclude that blood is no longer thicker than water. This is not in general but just in my own experience. It is specifially happens to me and does not on you. You are lucky if you have relatives that still help you and not hindering your dreams and goals in life. I may not be lucky for those relatives I have, one thing for sure that I still lucky to have a God that never abondon us. That is the most important of all. God bless us all guys!

As a result, I've come to the conclusion that blood is no longer thicker than water. This is not a generalization; it is based on my own experience. This only happens to me; it does not happen to you. You are fortunate if you have relatives that continue to support you and do not obstruct your objectives and goals in life. I may not be fortunate in terms of my relatives, but one thing is certain: I am fortunate to have a God who never abandons us. The most vital of all is this. May God bless us all!