Love never gives up

If there is one thing 78-year-old Aurelia Matias taught everyone when she looked for her missing husband, it is her unflinching belief that love doesn’t give up. And how she showed this to the world!

When her 78-year-old husband, Lolo Luis, went missing for two weeks on the streets of Manila, Lola Aurelia did not lose hope of finding again the love of her life. With modest means and an undeniable integrity, she sat alone on the corner of Gil Puyat Avenue and Roxas Boulevard. She went a notch higher in her search by being creative: she pinned to her dress — in both front and back — photocopies of her husband’s picture. Included, too, were contact numbers for those who could locate her husband. In her lonesomeness, Lola Aurelia waited for Lolo Luis. But on those days, Lolo Luis did not come.

Last Monday, a man named Reddie Js (his Facebook name) passed Lola Aurelia’s way and took notice of an old woman with plastered photos of her husband on her dress. The passerby, who, according to reports, is a photography hobbyist, asked Lola Aurelia to have her photo taken. Then he played a Good Samaritan by posting Lola Aurelia’s black and white picture on Facebook. It went viral with more than 60,000 Facebook users sharing the photograph of Lola Aurelia. The photo also caught the attention of TV networks, which also joined the search for Lolo Luis.

On Tuesday night, the search was over. As shown on TV, Lola Aurelia found Lolo Luis near the Quirino station of the Light Railway Transit. They flashed each other a toothless smile. Then tears of joy flowed as they tightly locked themselves in a seemingly never-ending embrace. They found each other again. And in their reunion, they also made other people happy and hopeful by teaching them that the secret to life is love.

Given her age, two weeks was already a long time for Lola Aurelia to wait. But it was never long enough to give up on love. Lola Aurelia proved that there is value in waiting. With a sincere heart, love will come. In her case, she did not give up that she would find again the love of her life.

Given his age and the fact that Lolo Luis is already ulyanin (forgetful) as his wife said, two weeks of being away from home was already an ordeal. But the kindness of strangers made him survive. I can only surmise that Lolo Luis also did not lose hope that one day he would find his way home again.

Their poignant reunion is also indicative that the world is still populated by people with sincere intentions to help. The everyday life may be fast-paced but there are still moments when we stop from the dizzying spin of our lives and notice something that will warm the heart. It takes a sensitive man — and a loving individual — to do what Reddie Js did. He, too, proved that an act of kindness is never wasted. Indeed, kindness makes a difference. 

Truth is, for many, the story of Lola Aurelia and Lolo Luis, that landed a trending spot on Twitter, was the best news of the week. Their story also demonstrated the positive effect of social networking sites. The many posts about them became the ultimate reason why many people I know, including me, changed their minds about closing their Facebook accounts.

Love moves, indeed. The elderly couple proved to all and sundry that it is not cornball to love, to display affection, to look for it, to wait for it. Like all blessings, love comes — in many forms, in many shapes, in many sizes.

Love waits. Someone is going to be there to those who sincerely wait for love. It will come because love never gives up.

Love keeps you young. At 78, sinewy lines on the faces of Lola Aurelia and Lolo Luis seem to crisscross to forever. But the lines are blurred by their love for each other. At their reunion, they embraced like young lovers who have finally won their freedom to love and love some more. They showed that affection knows no age.

If you can gauge your capacity to love, how will you measure it? For Lola Aurelia, it’s unlimited and boundless. All she had to do was to sit in a corner and hope that she would find her missing husband again. She did not find him in that corner but she found him just the same. With her experience, she taught the world to love. Again.

(For your new beginnings, please e-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com or my.new.beginnings@gmail.com. You may also follow me on Twitter @bum_tenorio. Have a blessed Sunday!)