Coming Home

Today, I woke up early. O sadyang, wala lang talaga akong tulog. Excited ako kasi dadating iyong mga tito ko galing Manila. Hence this post.

My tito who has been illed for the past months has finally come home to God. Si Hoberto Quitos, iyong tito ko na matandang binata. Kami iyong nag-aalaga sa kanya noong naospital pa siya at hanggang sa binawian na siya ng buhay.

I remember one instance when I was in my junior year, I came home late, he scolded me first before my mom did. Oftentimes, he would bring us biscuits and chichirias as pasalubong.

I think for him, life is just simple. Walang hassle, chillchill lang. He is someone who is selfless. Iyong tipong kapag nagbibigay, walang tinitira sa sarili, di man sa pinansiyal o materyal ngunit lalo sa oras, panahon at pagkalinga.

Hindi na siya nakapag-asawa. Iyon marahil ay sa kadahilang he dedicated himself to serve us. Kung bakit sa tuwing my naoospital, siya agad ang willing magbantay. Isa siyang sekyu. Lagi siyang andiyan para sa amin. Wala man siyang naging pamilya, alam ko na kami iyong itinuturing niya na kanyang mga anak.

I know my tito has gone thru a lot before he passed away. He has undergone an operation last 2012, and was hospitalized several times after due to his heart ailment. But his will to live longer has keep him going. It was a battle he keep on fighting until his last breath.

Maraming beses na siyang inatake ng sakit niya subalit napagtatagumpayan niya iyon lahat. Kasama kaming mga ‘pag-umangkins’ niya, sina Mama, mga kapatid niya at ang kanyang dalawang ina, ang lola ko at si Mama Isang at ng mga kapamilya namin. Umaalalay at sumusuporta.

Ngunit sa huling sandali, kinuha din siya sa amin. Ngunit di ibig sabihin noon, natalo siya. Sa maraming beses na nandun kami sa tabi niya, ngunit iyong time na iyon kung saan babawiin na siya sa amin, he fought on his own. Na siya lamang nag-iisa.

It was a battle he kept fighting and WON in the end. It was him and our God. Sa huling laban niya, it was not a fight for his life. It was an acceptance of the Lord’s will. At alam ko na tanggap na niya.

Death, like his, even though we have anticipated it and prayed for it, still came as a surprise. Everytime na inaatake siya noon, I would pray na sana kung kukunin man siya sa amin, hindi na siya papahirapan. Kung kailan nagiging okay na siya, ngumingiti, tumatawa, nagbibiro, saka siya kinuha.

Siguro it was out of God’s way of telling us to remember him. Hindi sa panahon na naghihirap siya kundi sa panahon na tumatawa siya at nagbibiro. God wants us to remember him, my tito, not on his pain but on his joys.

And that is perhaps the reason why God took away his life on Independence Day, June 12, 2014. To tell him that he was free. Free from pain and suffering. In God’s loving arms, he finally found his FREEDOM.

May his soul rest in peace forever. And his undying love will always be remembered.

Like what I told him in my dream, yes I dreamed of him, exactly a week after he died. It was so clear that I took note of every detail (19june2014 3:24am).

In my dream I told him this “PALANGGA KA GID NAMON, INDI KA MAGKABALAKA DIRE SA AMO, PADAYON SA IMU LAKAW. BASTA TANDAAN MO PALANGGA KA GID NAMON”. And I saw tears in his eyes.

Basta, we love you, Tito Emong!

WELCOME BACK HOME TO GOD..