A time for love, a time for hope
“I made it through the rain,
I kept my world protected.
I made it through the rain,
I kept my point of view.
I made it through the rain,
And found myself respected,
By the others who,
Got rained on too,
And made it through.”
— From “I Made It Through the Rain,” one of the songs sung by the author at the concert
The late Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis once said, “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”
Indeed, the past couple of years have been considered bleak and dreary for most. It has already been old hat to mention the COVID-19 pandemic yet again, but, sad to say, we are still in the midst of it.
Even Christmastime was not spared. An occasion reserved for holly, jolly cheer and celebration still echoed the uncertainty of the times and the bleakness of the future.
Not to mention that on Christmastime, our brethren in the Visayas and Mindanao were hit with the worst typhoon to have struck them in years.
But, taking off from what Mr. Onassis said, it was during these rather dark times when the light shone brightest.
The outpouring of love and support for the victims of Typhoon Odette (international codename: Rai) came in leaps and bounds, which I wrote about extensively here.
The pall that overcast the Yuletide season has not dampened the spirit of giving and of caring, of sharing and of loving, especially to people we don’t know.
It was in this milieu that the Philippine Constitutional Association or PHILCONSA, the oldest and most respectable association of legal luminaries in the country, held a virtual concert dubbed “A Time for Love, A Time for Hope” that sought to raise funds for PHILCONSA’s various projects “aimed at educating and instilling in the Filipino, primarily the youth, the importance of protecting, promoting, and observing the Constitution, as well as securing and conserving the patrimony as a Filipino nation.”
Proceeds of the concert will also go to the Philippine Red Cross Manila Chapter.
This project was the brainchild of lawyer Rodolfo “Inky” Reyes and produced by his uber-talented wife, Aimee Vesagas-Reyes.
The event was ably hosted by Inky himself and by the beautiful and talented Beth Lee, a respected figure in the business community.
Performers in the concert were my UP Law classmate and perennial duet partner, lawyer Dot Balasbas-Gancayco, former senator Joey Lina, a lawyer, too, and myself. Guest singers included the up-and-coming talent, Kathleen Francisco, and the Jose Mari Chan, everybody’s favorite Christmas icon.
The evening was a night of entertainment as well as a sentimental journey as memorable and well-known songs, not just for Christmas, were sung — testaments to life with all its ups and downs, as well as odes to dreams of better lives and brighter futures for all — for love that was not just for Christmas but for all year through.
Our heartfelt thanks go out to PHILCONSA president, House Majority Floor Leader Martin Romualdez, and the PHILCONSA Board for supporting this project.
It seemed that everyone had a wonderful time both reminiscing and regaling others. That even just for a night at Christmastime, there was a lot of love and a lot of hope to be felt all around — enough to have jumpstarted us into the New Year and all it holds.
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