what i learned

i took a quick trip to mindanao for the weekend to visit my cousins and my aunt.

i am the one of the youngest girls in our family so it's quite understandable to have my cousins being protective of me. it's funny how they still treat me as if i was still the little girl in high school, the little girl last time they saw me. but it has been almost sixteen years and so they were quite amused while we were talking and they were saying "wow, you sure have grown up"/"wow, tawo ka na gid ya, ta". we actually went camping and that night, i had my rounds with each cousin. we talked and talked and talked over some drinks.

it was great talking to my cousins. we're all adults now so our conversations went to the serious side once in a while. i was away for almost sixteen years and so there were just a lot to discuss, a lot to catch up.

my cousins' stories were of a mixed lot. some were terribly upsetting while the others were heartwarming. either way, they made my cousins who they are now and i learned that resilience, stubbornness, loyalty, prayerfulness were just some of the traits i have in common with them. in a way, they helped answer some of the questions i have; they helped clear some of the doubts clouding over my mind and my heart. being with them and talking to them gave me a better sense of who i am.

among the many things i heard from them, these are some of what got stuck in my head:

"no matter where we are, we will always be family and we will always have your back"

"continue making memories"

"i am not proud of how we started but i am proud of how we are now; of what we are now. it was difficult and yet it was all worth it. i know i will continue being this proud and happy...so remember that sometimes, you really can make something wrong turn out to be the most right thing in your life"

"life is like climbing a mountain. there are times when you'd like to stop but you just can't. you have to push forward. you have to be strong and carry through and when you reach the top, enjoying the view, you'll understand that everything was wort it."

"Bad things are always going to happen in life. People will hurt you, but you can't use that as an excuse to hurt someone back."

"love is a decision. when you choose to love, you choose to do everything to make your relationship work. there is just no other alternative."

"Love is something natural. Love happens when you are completely yourself with a person. When you dare to reveal your true self and know that the person you love will love you for what you are. Love comes naturally when both parties dare to be vulnerable with each other and still like what they see "

"girl power. that's good but you need a balance too. you need someone to balance it out too"

"we can't change the truth. we can't change what happened. but that truth can change us"

"you will always have a place to come home to here in lake sebu"


my trip was a happy one! will post pics and more thoughts soon!