Today, one of my favorite aunts died. She is Tita Fely, also known to others as Sister Genevieve. She is my mom's older sister. She was only 68 years old and she had been sick for several years now.
When I think about Tita Fely, I remember the summers of my youth. My sister and I spent a lot of summers at her place in Bukidnon. She was a Pharmacist and she had a drugstore--the only drugstore in her part of the town, and it was right in front of the main bus terminal so it was always busy. Business was good for her.
We had spent the summer with her to help out with her business not only because she provided our supply of Enervon-C, but also because we like her a lot! She never got married nor had kids and she was so fond of us, her nieces and nephews. She gave us a lot of nice stuff. We would travel back and forth to Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon and when we find ourselves in the big city, she would take us shopping and treat us to Jollibee.
Back at her place, she would feed us with nothing but fresh and organic produce--she had an abundance of them in her area, or so I recall. A farmer would bring us fresh cow's milk in the morning and because we couldn't drink all of it, Tita would use them to bake cakes, muffins and pies. We always had cake! And she was a goddess in the kitchen! Her cakes were always excellent! Her empanadas were the best I've had, and she made the juiciest and yummiest roasted chicken using her humungous turbo broiler that looked so cool to us back in the days.
Tita was so fond of jewelry and she had some really precious ones. Before my high school graduation, she handed me one of her favorite pieces--a gold ring with a dragon on it (because I was born in the year of the dragon). She told me she is not giving it to me. She just wanted me to hold it and take care of it for her. She said I can use it, but if I lose it I'll have to pay for it. I asked why she wanted me to keep it rather than just keep it herself. She said some people have shown interest in that ring. If they ask her for the ring, she might have difficulty saying no. Yes--she was very kind and generous. Also, she said, if anything happens to her, they'll just take the ring and get away with it. She didn't want that to happen. She also gave my sister another ring--one that had beautiful and colorful stones on it and one that reflected my sister's personality, and she said the same thing to her. We both promised her we'll take care of the rings for as long as she needed us to.
Years later, on one of my trips back home, I paid her a visit at a monastery where she lived for years before she died. She was already sick and bedridden then. I asked her the question which I already knew the answer to, "I still have your ring. Would you like to have it back or would you like me to keep holding it for you?" She cried hard while squeezing my hands and said, "No, keep it! It's yours."
I knew that she wanted my sister and I to have those rings, but she did it that way not because she was afraid something might happen to her or that some psycho would take it away. But she did that because she wanted to teach us a good lesson--that we can't easily have possessions unless we earn it. That we can't just own things the easy way, and most of all we can't take it from other people. We have to work hard to get what we want.
Tita Fely was a very hardworking, driven individual who built things from the ground up--a successful business that she single-handedly nurtured and strong relationships with people who loved and adored her until her very last breath. The universe wasn't so kind to her though, such that she got sick at a young age and suffered for almost half her lifetime. Things were rough for her physically and emotionally, but never spiritually. She remained strong in faith and love. And while her physical disabilities deprived her of the worldly goods that she would rather have enjoyed, she chose a life that allowed her to do what she still could--PRAY. Pray for us and for others. She joined the religious and devoted herself to a life of prayer.
I miss Tita so much, now more than ever. I still have her ring with me and it's one of my most treasured possessions. I would wear it everyday if only my fingers are as skinny as they used to be. I hope that one day I'll be able to wear it again so I am always reminded of her and the values she taught me. Nevertheless, she will always be close to my heart. The summers I spent in Bukidnon and the many good memories with her will remain in me for a long, long time.
Farewell, Tita Fely! Thank you and farewell. We celebrate your life more than we mourn your death, and we take comfort in the thought that you are now in a better place, a place with no pain and no suffering. Rest well. Rest in peace. We will not forget.
