Roots

Last February 22, we attended the first Robles family reunion.  I would like to think that this was inspired by  mommy's passing as our Tito Exie (mommy's first cousin), realized that the family has grown so much that even the closest relatives don't know each other.  Btw, mommy's the eldest among the Robles cousins.

For me, the highlight of the celebration was the mass lead by Fr. Alex Balatbat.  Where he stressed that families fall apart when they want to get from others, what they can only get from God.

Three realizations I had during the reunion:

1. No comparison.  When we love our parents, or anyone in the family, there should never be comparison.  I realized that if we keep count of what we give to our parents, there will be more reasons on comparing what we did with what our siblings are giving.  This would form conclusions that we are giving MORE than what kuya or ate is capable, thus leading to resentments. To prevent this, have the initiative to give without expecting anything in return...love unconditionally.
2. Celebrities.  A lot of people asked me why I had pictures of celebrities and businessmen during the reunion.  I know that at the back of their mind they were asking if they were Cali's relative or mine (of course, I would say mine but no one believes me)
3. Legacy.  In the end, all our actions while we're alive will be carried on by our kids, grand kids, great grand kids, etc. This means that in all the decisions we make, no matter how tiny or big, it will always have an effect to the future generations.  I just realized, when was the last time I chose to sleep instead of playing with Amanda or Cassandra?  Maybe this tiny act might grow some seeds of deprivation of a dad's attention that could potentially make them insecure... which could lead to their inefficiency in leading people when they grow up... which could then lead to our country's downfall if for some reason they became president of the Philippines :).  Well, maybe I'm exaggerating but it is a possibility.  

It was fun that even in a small amount of time, we're able to connect with each other.  Hope this becomes a tradition so that even our great grand kids could still be connected to our roots.