i dedicate this personal website to my younger brother, jojo, who died of deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in his legs that reached the heart) on march 4, 1986, a few weeks before graduating from b.s. biology from UST at the young age of 21.
TODAY IS HIS BIRTH DAY!!! it's also the feast of his patron, st. george.
jojo was the liveliest among the siblings (7 boys & 2 girls), the most sociable and friendly, and had a heart full of compassion for the needy. he was called by his classmates to intervene when a classmate wanted to commit suicide. that's how natural a "counselor" he was.
i hope & pray that the Lord uses me & this website to touch people & help in the healing process.
the poem below seems to be a very fitting message from jojo, who was always "sunny":
"when i come to the end of the road
and the sun has set for me
i want no rites in a gloom-filled room.
why cry for a soul set free?
miss me a little -- but not for long.
and not with your head bowed low.
remember the love that we shared,
miss me -- but let me go.
for this is a journey that we all must take
and each must go alone.
it's all a part of the Master's plan,
a step on the road to home
when you are lonely and sick of heart
go to the friends we know
and bury your sorrows in doing deeds.
miss me -- but let me go."
SOURCE: "unknown (if you know the author please cite)", posted by Trish Stevens, 20 Apr 07 as a comment to an open letter by Bryan Schamus responding to the April 16, 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech, http://www.planetblacksburg.com/2007/04/a_students_letter_home.php
23 April 2007
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14 comments:
Hi Domingo,
I'm very glad to see a site dedicated to a friend... a very close one! George and I came to be close during the last 2 years of college, just a few seats away in class. Your description of George is exactly how I came to know him. Sociable, Friendly and "Sunny"! I remember his thick moustache believing it was there to tame that big smile of his. A glowing smile, not only does his thick eyebrows smiles with it but the people around him. I remember his low-pitched laughter and giggles too. Malikot na tao.
Other than the smiles, he would readily tone down and becomes a source of comfort when you need one. His sensitivity to the people around him is one thing that is apparent. Despite the pressures and fun of college life, he still has time to console troubled minds. Compassionate, sympathetic and yes, a good counselor.
The untimely loss of a friend didn’t strike me not until several years after his death. His advices, opinions and examples became evident as I made new experiences in my life. Believe me he has taught me in many ways.... He left a legacy in me, which I surely will carry on.
Belated Happy Birthday George!
Thanks for the memories Domingo! Can I get your contact info?
Bem Rosales
dear bem,
hi!
thanks a lot for your vivid, touching, and inspiring sharing that validated my descriptions of george.
you know what, i often pray for his and my deceased father's intercession whenever i face something very important but am anxious about, like my dissertation defense!!! i also actually dedicated my master's thesis to george around september of 1986, a few months after his death and i graduated with high distinction!!!
anyway, he continues to serve as an inspiration and a "challenge" to me coz, for one, i'm an introvert & he's the most extraverted among the siblings!
i'm glad he has somehow touched your life through his actions and his words.
may the good lord always embrace him with his light and love in his heavenly kingdom!
jun rayco :-)
dear family and friends,
peace in the risen lord!
am sharing the first comment i am
publishing in my blogspot (please see bem rosales' comment above) w/c i dedicated to my younger brother george who died at the tender age of 21 in 1986 shortly after the 1st people power revolution.
am just so glad to share it with
you all, not only for those who
knew him personally (being an
alumnus of christ the king mission
seminary), but for everyone coz
this made me reflect on what
other people will remember me
of when i'm gone!
remember steven covey's “7 habits of highly effective people”? the 2nd habit is to "begin with the end in mind or in view" & one of his exercises is to try to make your own epitaph (what you like written on your tombstone! & to be remembered by) & eulogy (what you want to hear people to say about you when you're in the funeral parlor or in your funeral mass). these also reveal our personal core values.
jun rayco :-)
p.s.: i don't even personally know the writer, bem rosales. but, this is just a proof of how far-reaching george's influence
was on people he came in contact with. may his tribe increase!
dear bem,
my email address is junrayx@yahoo.com.
jun rayco :-)
dear readers,
i've been wanting to share this article i read from the free tabloid here in dubai two years ago!!! it's titled: "JESUS DIED OF BLOD CLOT, DOCTOR CLAIMS: researcher says Jesus died on cross of DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS" -- the same diagnosis of GEORGE's death!!! i'm copying the short article as an entry in my blog for today. (see http://filipinopsychologist.blogspot.com/medicine/thrombosis
i think it's good to know these things to possibly prevent death.
happy reading.... :-)
jun r. :-)
Re: gift of piety
dear family and friends and guests,
peace!
i was reading this free pamphlet published by the knights of columbus (US) titled "the gifts of the holy spirit according to st. thomas aquinas" by fr. peter john cameron, o.p. and i felt the good lord was again confirming the dedication i made of this blog to my deceased brother GEORGE!
i'm quoting pages 15-16:
"solicitude for others is the second concern of the gift of piety. for piety, like god, remains concerned with coming to the aid of those in need. st. thomas quotes st. augustine in this regard, who says that WE PAY HOMAGE TO THOSE WE CHERISH BY DOING HONOR EITHER TO THEIR MEMORY or their company. by [15/16] REACHING OUT TO OTHERS in their actual struggles, we honor the Father by serving his children. this dynamic of SELF-GIVING SERVICE remains the lifeblood of the church, as is witnessed by the mutual love and constant INTERCESSION OF THE SAINTS IN HEAVEN. st. thomas points out that the saints continue to manifest the gift of piety through the honor they show each other in heaven, and through the compassion they show to us on earth in our moments of misery. the saints' intercession on our behalf is at root a pious impulse."
comment:
i consider this a confirmation because:
(1) my dedication is a form of honoring of his memory,
(2) he epitomized this "self-giving service" to others, and
(3) as i shared above, i do pray for his and my deceased father's intercession in times of grave need.
the HOLY SPIRIT is alive, indeed!!!
praise god! praise be his holy name! blessed be mama mary and all the angels and saints (especially those not officially recognized by the church because of their very ordinary lives)!
junrayx :-)
dom!
i was very touched by your borther's accident. i lost someone at the age of 19... and never talked about him .. and it still hurts.. what you wrote made me think again ... but im sure their souls are free and resting peacifully for ever..
dear anonymous,
hi!
thanks for your comments.
talking about someone we've lost, especially someone dear, can be THERAPEUTIC. psychologically speaking, we can only be healed of this hurt if we grieve over it. "grief is the healing feeling" (john bradshaw, 1995).
crying over or talking about the loss of a loved one can help lessen its heaviness in our hearts and hopefully, assist us in moveing forward in life.
jun :-)
i received this email today, july 30, 2007. - jun :-)
Hi Jun,
I'm Vivian Teng ( better known as "Bong" by our classmates in BS Bio, UST Class 86), like Bem, I'm seated close to George, right behind them. So we had our shares of jokes and laughters. Bem and I remained close up to this day, although we don't see each other anymore, we keep in touch through emails of our"goings-on".
We used to call george "Brother"...coming from the Seminary. He's very religious and always had a ready smile for everyone. He was my "dad" in our last Kris Kringle, Dec 1985 and I still keep his xmas present until now (almost 22 years later), a deer ceramic purcased at Rustan's because I truly cherished his friendship even after his passing away. I am now at practicing Pediatrician at Healthway Medical in Ermita Manila. I know he is happy to see us (old batchmates who made it to practice Medicine) now.
Thanks, George for being a part of me.
love, Bong
last week, while sharing to family and friends about george, a former classmate (& fellow bicolano) of mine at christ the king seminary, cadz malbarosa, who also knew george as a high school seminarian remarked that he remembers george as someone who make him realize that it's important to be just oneself and loosen up.
this is a paraphrase of his email to me coz, after asking his permisson to post it here, i lost his letter. i thought i had posted it earlier. :-)
31 jul 2007
hi, bem, the friend of bong, ha ha!
maganda ang rhyme...
… what i meant about my question was: papaano mo nahanap si george sa blog ko? was it accidental? i mean, what are the chances of you finding him in my blog? and only 3 months after i created my blog!
napaka-"providential" naman, di ba?
otherwise, how in world will i get to know you and george's classmates, ... after 20
years!!! ….
Jun r.
01 aug 2007
Jun,
…Chances of finding your blog coz of George isn't that slim coz I google searched! Only 2 results came out - both led me to your site. I was ecstatic :).
You might ask why I made that search. Why his name? Why now?
I did search his name several years ago w/ no results. This might be the 2nd time. I wanted to find out if there is some tribute given to him or some personality made mention of his name .... probably remembering something George must have done in the past despite his - short life. 2 years of friendship really is not that long, yet he is influential to me. At 21 years of age .... he must have influenced someone other than me. O de tama nga ako!
… Kahit wala na siya, he's still being influential!!!! Ganda ano?
Bem
Aug 1, 2007
...I'll put it this way, probably I didn't find George in your blog kasi he's been with us always naman eh. But he did led me to his brother .... who remembers him. :)…
Bem
august 26, 2007 dubai, uae
dear family and friends,
here is another article stating clearly the teachings of the catholic church regarding the souls of our faithful departed. it's just confirming what we have been talking about above, especially as explicitated by me and bem.
jun :-)
Re: Communion of Saints, Teaching and Vision
Fr: Catalina Rivas+ (2004). The testimony of Catalina on the sacraments of reconciliation and the anointing of the sick. Lithonia, Georgia: Love and Mercy Publications.*
http://www.greatcrusade.org/greatcrusade/Providence/Divine_Providence.htm
: Catalina Rivas (2004). The holy mass: The testimony of Catalina Rivas. Lithonia, Georgia: The Great Crusade of Love and Mercy.** http://greatcrusade.org/greatcrusade/Mass/Holy_Mass_Web.htm
•The Faithful Departed
“On the 11th of June [2003] I was very sad…. It was difficult for me to accept my young brother’s death and I felt abandoned…. That night… after my prayers, the Lord dictated [the following] to me:
‘My daughter, at no time have I abandoned you…. Think of the Communion of the Saints and in this you will find that that apparent goodbye to your dear brother has to transform itself into joy for your family, joy that will bring them consolation. Remember that the Blessed reflect on all of you their beatific light and be certain that because of that Ecclesial communion, those who have preceded you, departing filled with love, are helping with their prayers. They are close to all of you to comfort you in your sorrows, to strengthen you in your trials, to dismantle the obstacles that you find in your way, and to help you overcome the shrewd snares that our common adversary usually sets out for you. I have prepared you, and I have guided you to lead your family in the mourning….”*
•… and The Poor Souls in Purgatory
“The moment of Consecration, the moment of the most marvelous of Miracles had arrived. Behind the right of the Archbishop appeared a multitude of people also in a diagonal line. They were dressed in the same tunic but in pastel colors of: rose, green, light blue, lilac, yellow, in short, in different and very soft colors. Their faces were also brilliant, full of joy. They all seemed to be the same age. You could note (I can’t say why) that they were people of different ages but their faces looked the same, without wrinkles, happy. They knelt down as well at the singing of ‘Holy, Holy, Holy Lord’
“Our Lady said: ‘These are all the Saints and the Blessed of Heaven and among them are the souls of your relatives who already enjoy the Presence of God.’…
“… Before the Altar, there appeared some shadows of people in gray color with their hands raised. The Holy Virgin said: ‘These are the blessed souls of Purgatory, who await your prayers to be refreshed. Do not stop praying for them. They pray for you but they cannot pray for themselves. It is you who have to pray for them, in order to help them depart so that they can be with God and enjoy Him eternally….”**
-----------------------------------
+Catalina Rivas is a modern-day mystic. Although the Catholic Church cannot confirm her private revelations, her writings have been “recommended for its spiritual inspiration” by the Archdiocese of Mexico and “recommended” for reading by Archbishop Emeritus Rene Fernandez A. of Cochabamba, Bolivia.
in addition:
• Catechism on the Communion of Saints
“ ‘… All the sacraments are sacred links uniting the faithful with one another and binding them to Jesus Christ…. it is primarily the Eucharist that brings this communion about.’”
- Roman Catechism I, 10, 24. As quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994), # 950.
March 4, 2008: death anniversary of Jojo and my delayed arrival home to the Philippines from 3 years of OFW work in Dubai. coincidence? i don't think so. i asked Bet, my brother priest to offer mass at his grave with family members who could make it. thanks again Jo, my heavenly intercessor! God be praised! Amen! :-)
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