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by Philipina A. Marcelo
In October of last year, my family celebrated the 75h birthday of my uncle - my father's older brother and his only surviving sibling. There were 14 of them (yes, 14!), and the two of them are the youngest. Many of their siblings didn't survive World War II. Those who did mostly passed away when my uncle and father were both very young and still unmarried. The picture below shows one of those rare moments these days when the "old brothers" are in a picture together.
Back in the '70's, when my siblings and I were very little, we moved to Manila and lived in one big house with my uncle's small family, and our widowed grandmother (my father and uncle's mother)... and everyday was a party! :) And then, when my siblings and I were moving to our tween years, our families lived in separate houses... but the party continued! :) Once a hyper life-of-the-party, my uncle now has become more and more content staying home in quiet contemplation of his "twilight days", rarely joining family gatherings anymore. While my father is more active in family gatherings, that's mostly all the socialization he has these days.
My uncle and my father have always been tennis enthusiasts - they still are. When we were little, on Wimbledon fortnight, they used to get us all kids finish our school homeworks on Saturday mornings and to go to church early on Sundays so we could catch the live telecast of the matches in the afternoon, after our nap, and in the early evening... especially the women's and men's final. :) We were Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert fans, and we adored Bjorn Borg and Martina Navratilova, too! :) Weekends were usually spent playing table tennis or badminton at home among my siblings, my cousin (the only daughter of my uncle's) and I... and the "old brothers" were always in the "championship match" - complete with their white tennis "short shorts" of the old days! :)
While my father is not into musical/dance shows, my uncle used to get us kids to watch and appreciate the wholesome Osmond brother-sister duo
The original Charlie's Angels:
Jaclyn Smith, Farrah Fawcett
and Kate Jackson.in "The Donny and Marie Show", the talented teenagers Sharon Cuneta and Jackie Lou Blanco in the weekend German Moreno show, "Germspecial", and to let Denny Terio teach us how to dance in "Dance Fever". They educated us girls about women empowerment and being street smart through "Charlie's Angels", and to be good girls as exemplified by Janice De Belen in "Flordeluna" and the late Julie Vega in "Anna Liza". They'd both look the other way while we girls giggled, screamed and hyperventilated over the incredible extreme cuteness that was Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson in "Hardy Boys"... for as long as we learned the values of close family ties by watching "Little House on the Prairie". :) They also brought to life our charitable side by encouraging
Cuteness! Shaun Cassidy and
Parker Stevenson in "Hardy Boys". us to share our weekend merienda with the gentle old lady and her shy grandkids who walked our village to sell fresh fruits for a living.
Hmmm... those were the days! It's funny how my siblings, my cousin and I used to frown at the encouragement of my uncle and my father to pay attention and appreciate all sorts of good things around us. But as we grew older and now being the "encouragement monsters" to the younger generation in our family, we are thankful that the "old brothers" did open us up to such wonderful learning experiences when we were very little. They are not only a foundation of great personal dimensions but also a source of warm memories. :) No wonder that these days, the brothers are just happily breathing tranquility as they savor the warmth of their twilight years.
Like the "old brothers", I hope to breathe and savor tranquility, too, in my twilight years.... In the meantime, there simply is so much to celebrate and to be merry about! :)
A belated happy Father's Day to my father and uncle!! :)
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