Goodbye Popoy

It was 4am on a Tuesday. I rushed to the parking lot in the office, went inside my car and called my brother through FaceTime.  I had to talk to Papa.  I do not know if I will ever get to talk to him again.  It was a brief but special video call. "I love you Papa!" I said.  He removed his mask and told me " I love you. I love you very much and you know that."  His voice was so clear and loud, as if he were fine.  My brother quickly prodded him to put his mask back and had to bid me goodbye immediately because of fear of overstimulation.  That was the last time I heard his voice.  

Up until his last moments, Papa continued to be a source of strength for everyone.  His body may have withered, but his mind was still very clear.  He continued to make his loved ones laugh and sang to his youngest great grandchild during his last few hours. 

On the 5th of February at 1:23am, my grandfather went home to be with his Creator.  He was  surrounded by my grandma, his children, sons and daughter in law, and grand kids.  Just like our Sunday gatherings everyone was there, keeping it together and comforting one another.  How I wished I was there, too.  

Thank you Papa for all the beautiful memories and for equally loving all your grand kids. Thank you for making us always feel special and loved.  Thank you for making me feel like I am the best cook in the world when I made you Salpicao. Thank you for dotting on my son even if it meant only seeing him through FaceTime. Thank you for being so proud of me when I got my new job a few months back.  

Now that you are in heaven, please give Vito a hug and a kiss for me.   I know you are having a grand time there, watching over us.

We will miss you so much, Papa. We love you, until we meet again.

                                    

               Papa was just in his mid 40's when he had his first set of grand kids-my brother and I.

                          We were lucky to have been able to spend a lot of time with him.

         

 This was in 1989 when majority of the clan was still living in the Philippines.  Every a Sunday, we had dinner at Mama and Papa's place and heard mass together.