Decades-old memories

We usually set aside a specific day for a certain celebration like festivals, birthday parties, reunions, etc. And of course, every gathering is dedicated to keeping up with each other over sumptuous food. And what happened last April 30 is no exception. After more than four decades and in our sixties, we were still able to see each other again.

Through the efforts of Genie Remedio, the Batch ’75 link, who contacted our batchmates at Saint Joseph’s Academy. We reunited after forty four years. It was my first reunion with them. We welcomed Mildred Mangubat-Bas from New Jersey who came home.

Some of them are also working in government offices, hospitals, private companies. Others are into business while others are already tending their grandchildren.

Mildred was so gracious giving us pasalubongs: perfumes, chocolates, dollar bills. There was so much fun, games, trivia—recalling our mentors and school directress. We also remembered our departed teachers and batchmates.

The spirit of the social orientation is still very much valued. I am very proud of what the ICM congregation has imparted to us, especially to me that made me who I am today, and to the society that I am serving.

I often do not attend reunions due to conflicting commitments but there are reunions that for some reasons we could not miss to attend. Reunions that we know are just display of what we have. But for others, it is an opportunity to really find out what others have been doing and reconnect some golden memories.

It is also some kind of revelation that others are not so blessed, such an opposite of what they had shown during the school days, which was full of promises and bright future.  And so it is heart-warming when we get admiration for what we have done in life. Life is indeed unpredictable. We don’t really know who would make life so significant after so many years.

Growing separated doesn't change the way that for quite a while we grew side by side; our underlying foundations will dependably be tangled. Sooner or later in lives, we need this void to be filled in by the very individuals who give the delights, laughter, and all the great recollections. At last, we generally return to the people that were there first and foremost.

Do we still remember the last few days before we parted our ways as classmates and friends? The details may not be clear but one thing is certain, we were emotional. And now after many years, we can say that the pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.

I even think that happiness is being with an old friend or friends after a long time and feeling like nothing has changed. When we meet, we always talk about what happened to us even if those happened decades ago. Although sometimes we have to accept the fact that certain things will never go back to how they used to be. Yet the most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. Souls tend to go back to who feels like home.

That mini reunion of twenty strong and empowered women will hopefully be multiplied by the time we celebrate our 45 years. Long live our Batch ’75! Good health and more blessed life!