Back to the Philippines - Strings of the Heart

My cousin, Erik, called me this morning. He needed my email address so that he could send me photos that his brother, Karl, took.  Karl is on a special journey back to his roots.  A spiritual journey of sorts, I imagine.  I feel so loved to have been thought of, when my cousins were sharing the photos.

Karl is standing in front of Lola's birth home.

A wide street view of her birth home.

This is the rice field that Lola Mom played in as a child. Later, she hid from Japanese soldiers here during the war. Then,  Lolo Dad's Army post was set up here in this field - where Lola Mom caught his eye...

for the first time.

Mt. Pinatubo in the background (the volcano that erupted and destroyed Bacolor in 1991, the 2nd largest eruption of the 20th century)

Family in front of the Church of Bacolor, Pampanga. It was built by the Spaniards 300 years ago.

Another Family Group photo.

Karl - My Precious Pinsan on his Journey.

Filippino Foods

Pancit - foreground

Lumpia - background

I am so JEALOUS!!

In a good way though.

I love it when my cousins call me.  I love talking with Erik (and the rest of you!), whenever we talk, we pick up like we just spoke a few days earlier.  My cousin, Jason, said to me, "Talking with you, Tyra, is like going home."  I love that. It totally warms my heart and brings me peace.  I was blessed with a few precious telephone moments with Erik this morning. It totally made my day. Hell! That one telephone conversation, filled with "Cousin-Love" will carry me through the next few months! We talked health and heartache.  I asked Erik how he is faring, without Lola Mom in our physical presence. It's been almost a year for both sides of my family.  We mentioned things like not being able to delete their phone numbers off of our phones. My cousin, Mindy, has a recorded voice message on her answering machine from Grams - she can't bring herself to delete it.  I asked Erik if he felt Lola Mom since she passed, as I had felt my Grams one afternoon.  I thought that Lola Mom had come to all of us in our dreams the morning she left us, but Erik, sadly - so sadly, said she hadn't done that to him.  However, he did mention his sister's dream and how Lola was so concerned for him.  That brought him comfort that Lola WAS indeed trying to reach him before she left us completely.  I was there with Grams while she was talking to whomever it was that I couldn't see. She was telling them my name; and when Lola Mom was leaving us, she woke me up.  I can understand Erik's sadness.  Lola Mom loved us all so much - and in ways that were specifically unique to each one of us.  I am so glad that she permeated our family with love, because it's still there, filling us up - keeping us together in ways that only a modern, spread-around-the-globe-family can be connected - with strings from her heart.