summer!!!

it's officially my favorite time of the year! despite the disgusting and uncomfortable heat, i say summer is when most of us get to unwind and lay our minds off the hustle bustle of our busy lives...i love it.:D

my family and i went to pangasinan to visit my grandparents and other relatives. we see to it that the whole family pays them a visit every time my dad's here in the country and out of all the times we went there, i'd have to say that this one's the best. primarily because we have seen a significant improvement in my lola's condition. She was confined in the hospital last october and stayed there for more than a month. i felt that all of us were preparing ourselves for the worst that could happen. Having witnessed what she went through because of her sickness made me look up to her more. Her strong desire to live, her faith in the Lord and her love for her family is astounding and i believe these are the weapons she is geared with in battling her sickness. Now, she's slowly recovering. She still can't walk but she goes through therapy everyday and her latest progress is being able to stand and take baby steps. she can eat solids now and is slowly gaining her appetite back!

another reason why i enjoyed this vacation the most is because it was the only time i got to really talk to my lola. it was all small talk before, probably because i wasn't very comfortable with her since i don't get to see her often. During our last visit though, me and my siblings would be in her room and just chit chatting and joking around with her. if only i had opened myself up to her before, we would probably have become closer. But it's never too late, especially now that she's getting better.:D

what also spiced up the family outing was our visit to Our Lady of Manaoag. we always see to it that we pass by this shrine to say our prayers before going to my dad's parent's house. But what made this visit extra special though was the little kid selling what seemed to be a prayer booklet or a small card with a picture of Manaoag...im not sure. She approached me and was persuading me to buy. I just smiled at her and left to lok for my mom. Then she approached my mom and did the same thing. She even said something like "Sige na ma'am, ipagdadasal ko na swertehin ka!" haha...that really blew me away! so we gave the girl and her friend money. then we left and as we approached the car, i heard someone call me and said, "ate, pinapabigay nya o" (pointing to the girl i was talking about). it was a beaded necklace with a crucifix pendant. i honestly didn't know how to respond..i even remember asking her "bakit?" but in the end, i took it. what surprised me was seeing her other friends wearing the same thing..so maybe it was like their friendship necklace or something. :) what moved me was the sincere and simple gesture of appreciation and gratefulness because this is what we often take for granted these days. there was this girl who didn't even have enough money to buy bread, sharing what she had just to express how thankful she was for the act that we did. and it wasn't giving something she had in excess...kakaiba.:)

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we're off to bora tom! almost a day in the ferry, then a bus ride, then a boat ride....what an adventure!haha.:) im sure it'll be fun!

must get some shut eye...i just finished packing and i still have to wake up early tomorrow!:D