My First Hometown Visit after Typhoon Pablo.

I never had the chance to visit Cateel immediately after Typhoon Pablo. In March 30 of this year I finally took that courage to face what the storm did to our hometown and its nearby municipalities. Deep in my heart I know this too shall pass. There are things God would allow to happen in our lives. I have been through a lot of storms but this one is literally a real STORM and His name is Pablo. I only knew Pablo as an important character in one of my kids' favorite group Backyardigan. On a serious note.. I believed when one has faith in God, He can boldly  say........

I will soar with God above the storms....

On our way to Cateel via Mati, I could not stop my self from taking these photos of my favorite island  San Victor  in Baganga and  the mangroves. I was crying deep within.

I went to this island  many times with my UCPB family and friends from high school and college. This used to be in lush.

ONE SOLITARY LIFE (Thinking and Thanking Jesus in this season of LENT)

This book is truly a perfect gift for this season (  This season of LENT). Thank you to my dear friend,  our Travel Teller, Olan F. Emboscado .  You just do not know the magnitude of this gift to me.

  While JESUS' Life  can be read  and understood  well in our FOUR Gospels  ( Birth and Earthly Life, His Early Ministry, Words and Works in Galilee, Jerusalem Journey and His Final Week) KEN BLANCHARD  wonderfully  presented this book. I could not contain it to myself. I just feel the need to share this especially this season of LENT.

JESUS

Ompo Juan ( Remembering my Hero, Remembering my Dad)

Dads are special, especially mine.

 

God's unique design on my life I would say started when He had chosen someone to be my   DAD. Because my DAD married my MOM when he was 72 years old while my MOM was 22 ( half century age gap), I had very few memories. This is the only photo I have being carried by my DAD. It makes this photo very special.  

People in our town called him OMPO JUAN.  I wondered why many people called him Ompo Juan. When I leaf the documents I have with me which I treasured for a long long time, now I understand.

 

My DAD is an Ilocano. My siblings said  I got my fair skin from him.

 

I got these documents below from my half-brother Mano Auxing ( late Judge Auxencio Dacuycuy of Tacloban City). He handed me copy of History of Cateel which Our father wrote which He later improved. Now Mano Auxing passed the book to me with the instruction to improve and update and hopefully one day reproduce and publish. I know we already have copy of this book in national library.

 Had it not been of this document , I will never know that per records Me and my Dad have the same birth dates.

Mano Auxing failed to write my correct name. Instead of Joanille, He wrote Joanette twice, The name of our blue baby sister. 

I tried to retrieve all the documents and things owned by my Dad when he passed away in 1981. I was six years old then. I owned his bed which up to now is still there. Good Typhoon Pablo spared it. Perhaps Pablo knew that bed is important to me. Kindly take a glimpse on these special keepsakes  I have been treasuring all those years.

 

My Papay and Mamay's Marriage Certificate

In 1956 He was awarded a Papal Cross, Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice ( for the Church and Papacy) from the Pope. This award is the highest honor given by Roman Catholic Church to distinguished lay persons who have rendered exemplary virtues and apostolic zeal to the church.

He  also wrote poems on his experiences during World War II and taking much interest in religious and political institutions he bagan writing the history of Cateel which were then published in some periodicals and used as textbook by teachers.

As treasurer of the Rizal Civic Organization he was greatly instrumental in the construction of Cateel's Rizal Monument erected in 1936. This answered my question why my Dad's name and my Uncle's name are engraved in this monument. 

In 1995, I received this souvenir book published in  April 28, 1995. I was surprised to see my Dad's name in the list of Roll of Heroes for Liberation of Davao. 

Another photo taken in 1979 with Father Teeny. I do not know if I spelled it right. This priest is a close friend of my DAD.

Another photo taken. This looks like they are being inducted as officers. I really do not know what's behind this photo. 

 

This is very important keepsake from my DAD. His dictionary. Up to now I am using it. 

His favorite past time. Playing Chess. I recalled his playmate Lolo Eng Hok.

 

  I have not read any of his poems. I love writing poems too. To my Papay, this poem is for you.

Maybe you can read this from a far. 

Then when I became a second time MOM, that  moment I saw his face in the monitor, I know I would name him JUAN in honor of my DAD.

This is the other JUAN of my LIFE now. My Juan Felix. Juan in honor of my DAD and Felix in honor of my husband's DAD. We simply call him JUAN.

 

According to  Kuya Danny ( one of the greatest national artists in the country) He looks like        Ompo Juan.

Working with Passion

Our Work is the presentation of our capabilities
  by : Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

I had a full day yesterday. Me and my workmates left early for us to reach our first destination at least two hours before lunch time. Though we went home very late last night, I would say it was a fruitful journey.

I would like you to make a glimpse at my two benevolent hearted companions. Alay and Kathy. Alay who is already taken will be leaving the company soon. I just thought it was a good thing we had taken the trip with him at least we were given the chance to talk about his future career and marriage plans. Kathy is our beautiful and dependable assistant relationship manager already married and blessed with two kids.

Whispers from God

MY PAIN HAS PURPOSE, MY PROBLEMS, STRUGGLES, HEARTACHES, AND HASSLES COOPERATE TOWARD ONE END - THE GLORY OF GOD

I never had these books and bibles before. However in 2008 God gave me several tests. My daughter was diagnosed of kawasaki disease. On top of this,  I was swindled by  a business partner whom I thought was a real partner . Up to now I have not recovered from my losses but I believed in time God will give me deliverance, God will bring restoration. ( He already started doing it).  Instead of bringing her to court, I lifted it all to our true JUDGE, Our GOD.

 

September 0f 2008 was my turning point. That experience was like a slow death.  I had my share of depression and eating was my way of coping. I avoided going out with friends because I did not want them to know the pain and the burden I was going through. That experience gave me realization that only God never fails. I expected so much from few people  who could help me out from that pit but then again.. very true only God never fails. Thanks to Stormie Omartian for her book The Power of a Praying Woman.

Remembering Mayo

Summer time is here again. Kids look forward to their activities every summer. As a mindful MOM I want them to enjoy their childhood. I should say God has been so good to me. While I try to catch things up in the office, my kids get to enjoy summer vacation away because I have my MOM, My Aunt (Kids called her Granny) and my cousins who can look after them in my absence.

 

 

Blue Momories

I will be leafing those pages of my life spent  with our blue baby sister. She is very special not only  because she has congenital  defect in her heart  but because God made her extra-special too. Born on January 30, 1975 named Joannette C. Dacuycuy. We called her TETE. Yes.. I chose Blue Memories for this blog post because even then  when she was alive we knew that any point in time  God would take her home.  I get very emotional as I am writing this now. There is pain and comfort at the same time  knowing Tete is now at peace with her creator. She was so certain of her salvation. Let me share with you how and who she was as a child.

Her fingers are like lolly pop, her skin is a bit blue, her blood is blue violet ( she was wounded several times and I could still imagine the color of her blood, straight haired). Tete is very beautiful.

Personal Touch

Receiving gifts is one of the best pages of my life I love to leaf.    I have moved several times from one apartment to the other just to be near the school of my kids yet I have with me these gifts all those years.  I Love gift that has personal touch. It is heartwarming to see my name stitched, engraved or written in an object. I will share with you few of those personalized gifts I received from friends

 

Rich In Love

This morning Yoowan asked me P60.00  to replace the ruler of his classamate Luke which He broke accidentally. One of the lessons I would like to impart on  my kids is to be a good steward. Being a good steward for me  aside from knowing how to take care of a thing also means  learning to be accountable. So I told Yoowan It's alright, we would  relpace it. 

 

  I went home late last night so when my kids were conversing this morning  i was quite half awake. I do not know why their conversation reached  this topic - About being poor. Maybe because whenever they would ask for something I would tell them to be patient and wait and save money because we are not rich. I always tell them Mother and Papa have  to  work hard first. I believed this way they would  also learn the value of hard work and money.

What amazed me this morning is when Ate Lexia told Yoowan not to worry even if we are poor. She said to her brother " It's alright YOOWAN we are rich in LOVE".

 

Blowing Bubbles

I would like to pay tribute to an important person in my children’s life.  They called her Granny ( kids’ term of endearment  for Grandma). She is indeed instrumental in training me and the whole family on how to raise a smarter baby. We had this infant stimulation program which I believed contributed to the intellectual aspect of a child. I trusted her because it’s her expertise. Granny has been there for us from preparation of materials for the stimulation program, to baby sitting, buying educational toys and gadgets for child proofing. Every time she leaves for Mati, Davao Oriental where she works as principal of the school which she also founded, I would be left by an outline/assignment on what to do with our program.

                                            RBW Materials ( Red, Black and White)

 

What's inside of your treasure box?

More than a decade ago I received this box from a dear friend named Rona who is now based in New York.  Like our friendship I valued this box. Maybe now she will know (If given the chance to read this post) I used the box as my treasure box.  I considered all the items inside my treasures.  Something I could not trade, something I could not just give away. I will share with you what’s inside this box.

Taking Lesson from the Ants

Our family celebrated new year away from the city in 2011. It was memorable for me and the kids. We loved that  chilly place. We all had the chance to be in touched with nature.  In one of my kids adventures, my little boy Yoowan ( who at that time was only 3 year old) explored the place bringing with him a camera.  After looking at the photographs, I noticed this.  Yoowan’s lolly pop fell  on the ground and when he saw the ants enjoying it he took this shot. 

Majical Moments

I am a MOM for almost  nine  years now and documenting my kids’  milestone has been a part of my motherhood journey.  For the times where I could not make it in their school activities, my aunt would take her time out to do this thing on my behalf.  There  are photographs taken  in our  unguarded moments.  I am leafing those pages where I bonded  with my son,  my husband  bonded with her daughter, my Mom took an early morning walk in the  sea shore with her grandson . 

           Photo taken by my Aunt ( Villa C. Salanio)  in Mayo Bay, Mati Davao Oriental

Tugki: The Place I called HOME

Even after Typhoon Pablo lashed our home town, I will still go back to our place. My soul have several reasons why. I grew up living in  a place called  Tugki. I wish I had the chance to ask my Dad and my half-brother who were both historians  why they named our place Tugki  . Later on I knew its meaning through my niece Armi who also has the passion in writing. Wow… Tugki is a local dialect which means POINT. Located along Dacuycuy Street ( towards  the end of the road if you go left) in Cateel, Tugki is surrounded by a river and it faces the bank of a river facing the Pacific Ocean as well. I would like to leaf those pages of my life why I will never trade my Home, even if we do not have a house yet. So saddened  by what Pablo did to our house.



Unshakable Joy

Help Cateel  group was founded by a friend  Olan F. Emboscado of The Travel Teller on December 5, 2012 immediately after typhoon Pablo badly hit our town.  I recalled the mixed emotions we had that afternoon. It was a quick decision to meet at Venees Hotel.  I am grateful to my friend Pastor Albert Clarito and Pastor Roy Oliveros  for the free accommodation at Destiny Christian Church.

Support from fellow Cateelenos was so overwhelming. We expected a group of five people to join the meeting, we ended up with a crowd of more than 60. And so the journey of Help Cateel group began. I am bold and in liberty to say that   the birth of this group emanates from LOVE.  Our love for our families, our kababayan and our love for our hometown.  Yes… Cateeleneos for Cateelenos. ( This Logo is created by Olan himself).

Touched by God's Grace

I would like to take a glimpse on the day I became a first time Mom. My world stopped. I got so focused on the baby and on how I could raise her well.  The whole family was practically involved in my quest. At an early age ( at 1.8 year old) , we were able to send her to school.  I was excited   for her every achievement, every little learning means a lot to me. 

My beautiful daughter Lexia

In September 2008, God gave us this test. My daughter Lexia was diagnosed of Kawasaki illness. This dreadful disease was a shock  to the family. We never knew how or where she got it. The bill was huge as the medicines for this illness was also expensive. Thank God for His healing and for the financial provision. I will  be forever grateful to my UCPB family for the financial help. I thank Teng de Mendoza for the initiative to drive the help campaign.

My Roots, My Family

I would like to start travelling inward by tracing my roots. My father (Juan Serra Dacuycuy, Sr.) who was a half century older  then  got married to my mother (Cecilia Rosalejos Caayon). I certainly believed that it was not love at first sight as my Mom who was very young ( 22 year old) had a young boyfriend as well.

I guess there are just marriages not made in heaven but built by man on earth to be in heaven. Obviously it was an arranged marriage. Who would ever  thought that a landlord would fall in love with his tenant’s daughter?  At one point on  bended knees  he sought the hand of my mother from my grandfather ( Lolo Ulping).

Inward Glimpse: Walking Through Life's Inner Pages

Hi Everyone!

I am a proud Cateelena, a mother of two kids, a banker, a sister, a daughter, a wife, a volunteer, a deciple of Christ and a friend.

They say Life begins at 40. I do not know why there is something in #40 for me. It’s not only significant number in the bible. This number is close to my heart and as I am nearing this aging process, I begin to see what lies behind the mystery of 40.