PAGBABAGO
This title was suggested by a friend after I told her that I was almost at the end of a task that many seniors had to face – letting go of possessions that had been accumulated over the years.
Actually “letting go” started six years ago when I moved from an old house where we had lived for 43 years to a modern two-bedroom condo in New Manila. The first decision was to dispose of the antique furnishings I had accumulated over the years as well as hundreds of books which I donated to our school library.
There were also souvenirs from countries I had visited for over six decades of travel in various parts of the world.
Like many of our peers, I could not resist the lure of the marketplace – the purchase of a memento – from handmade artifacts – textiles, carpets, masks, decorative plates, dolls, to cards, books, and museum prints, many of which were given to friends. And dozens of papers in two filing cabinets, plaques of appreciation and recognition for participation in seminars and workshops.
Fortunately, we had our rest house in Tagaytay, our retreat when we needed quiet moments, a place where we entertained friends and groups for meetings and workshops, and which later became a convenient storage place for material goods that we felt might be of use someday. What was most difficult for me was having to leave an 80-year old narra tree, yellow bell and bougainvilla vines, and a number of fruit trees, mango, coconut, caimito and calamansi.
But six weeks ago, the house in Tagaytay had to go. The buyers, business partners thought it would be an ideal place for a boutique hotel as it had a view of the lake and of the city. Another goodbye to our refuge from the tumult of the big city.
As I look around me now, I still see a few shelves of books and dozens of my art pieces. From my 11th floor lanai, I can see green foliage, beautiful sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, and city lights streaming on the water reservoir. And I look up and thank the Lord for giving me eyes to see and ears to hear.
Having said all that, let me share excerpts from a poem by Jocelyn Soriano
We do not really let go of love
We hold on to it
We know that we need only part
With things that cannot last.
But we hold on to what is pure;
We cherish the truth we’ve found.
And what is beautiful shall always remain
Because we never really let go of love.