Key Lime Pie: First attempt.

Now THIS, my dear friends, is a LESSON.

Deal with the consequences of what you cook. Say, a VERY SOUR key lime pie.

The day before my lolo’s death, my older sister and I made our first attempt in baking KEY LIME PIE. It was her idea actually. She got the “easy bake” recipe from a magazine, bought the necessary ingredients, and voila! one fine Monday morning (super clueless we both were to what was about to unfold the next morning), I became the sous to the chef.

Pretty pretty key lime! We ended up playing with them for a good 10 minutes.

Exhibit A. That’s my sister by the way. Ha ha!

Whipping cream was the happiest moment of my life.

IT REALLY WASN’T SO BAD. The sourness was just a little surprising. Ha ha! Learned a lot from this actually. Our filling in general wasn’t enough, sugar and cream in the filling were also not enough. Our key limes were too sour? It all goes back to that, really. Ha ha.

Sure Aix, go blame the fruit.

To bury the body and to let the soul fly free.

7 children, 17 grandchildren, 2 great grand children, wonderful in-laws, a thousand friends later and here you are now lolo, at the doorway of God’s home. You had lived a full life and we were all witnesses of that. Your funeral was a beautiful day to celebrate the life you had lived so well with all of us. If there were tears shed, they were because we will greatly miss you.

Fr. Bill Kreutz: “Such a big church for such a small man who loved life.”

Dear lolo and lola.

My uncle who delivered a eulogy in behalf of his other 6 siblings.

“God called to him ‘Nanding!’ and Nanding followed.”

My cousin who played Amazing Grace on the flute right before the burial rites.

My dad preparing the flowers he will put in lolo’s grave. We love you, papa.

One of my aunts said to the guests, “Let me introduce the grandchildren to you. The grandchildren are sadder than the children.”

After my uncle delivered his eulogy in behalf of his siblings, I delivered mine in behalf of the grandchildren. Composure was very difficult to maintain and I remember talking to lolo in my head, before I was called to the podium, “Please don’t make me break down in front of these people.” And I didn’t. Here was the eulogy I delivered:

“Growing up, I had always been quiet, keeping to myself every family reunion. And although I did not ask or was not looking for recognition or acknowledgment, my lolo never ran out of those to give to me. He was always there in all my achievements, big or small, always wanting to hear stories about high school glee club, college, and such. I will never forget that time when I came home from a speech competition. He sat down on the big couch of Malong‘s living room and had me deliver my winning speech again. Even though I had already forgotten half my speech’s lines, I saw in his eyes and his smile how he was so very proud of me. Even in his final days in the hospital, when I held his hand and delivered to him the news of my long due graduation, and told him his prayers had a lot to do with it, he looked into my eyes and squeezed my hand very tight.

I am so lucky to have had a lolo like him who, in every way that he could, made himself ever present in my life. Through his love, faith, and kindness, he made me shine bright amidst my shyness and silence.We are all hidden behind our smallness but it is through immense love and appreciation that we are fished out of isolation to make us feel our belonging in something great. Such was lolo to our lives and the sense of family he imprinted in all of us.

In lolo’s last weeks in the hospital, I witnessed two things. First was the sudden need to be closer to God in prayer with lolo and the family; and second was how love that is in pain, through prayer, is comforted and healed by familial love.

Thank you for bringing our family closer in the final weeks of your life, for offering your sufferings in prayer for all of us, and most especially for the love, kindness, and faithfulness that you showed and taught us by the way you had lived your life. We will miss you for everything you are to every single one of us. Smile upon us, lolo, and continue loving us, most especially now that you are closer to God. We love you.”

The seventeen grandchildren with titos and titas, with lola in white, hands on my shoulders, and with lolo who was in red&white collared shirt.

Thank you for your prayers and condolences. Thank you to the Philippine Madrigal Singers who sang for lolo’s funeral mass. Many thanks to Gene Paul Quevedo for the photos.