And so I’m back home.
The longest vacation I will have since moving to the U.S. almost 6 years
ago.
From the moment I was dropped off by friends at the U.S.
airport along with my maximally-packed luggages, feelings of excitement and
happiness consumed me. I was smiling most of the time during the whole trip
that I did not care if people thought I was crazy. I was happy to finally see
my family again. Seeing and talking to them via skype will in no way compare to
seeing them in person.
Greeted by my sister, my brother-in-law and my parents at
the airport, I am reminded of Filipino traditions where one is welcomed by a
troop of family members at the airport ready with their warm hugs and
kisses.
On our way to a hotel in Manila, I tell them of my adventure
as a Mabuhay class passenger in Philippine Airlines. By the way, thanks to my
sister and brother-in-law who sponsored my round-trip ticket to the
Philippines.
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| Brownie Cheesecake at the Airport Lounge in Toronto, Canada |
A few years ago, I decided to document everything that makes
me happy. I was also encouraged to do
that when my dad and mom started putting up and hanging up all updated pictures
of the family and family events on the walls of most of the rooms in our house.
One of my dad’s biggest problems now is
finding a wall in our house to put up the rest of the pictures (And this is no
exaggeration!). In this way, everyone in the family can be reminded of the joys
of our togetherness. It was also feelings of gratitude of my life and my family
that encouraged me to take pictures of the airplane trip to the Philippines.
Coming home is a kind of a culmination of the successes and failures that I
have had in the U.S. I was reveling every bit of my trip- from the rounds of
delicious food that was served to the kind captain and world- class crew of Philippine
Airlines (PAL) who even took time to have their pictures taken with me.
In his new book ‘How
to do the Impossible,‘ Bo Sanchez emphasizes
on the belief that ‘What you focus on, grows.” He explains that if we focus on the positive
things in our lives and fill our minds with affirmations, we can have a better
life because such thoughts can induce us to better our actions and encourage us
to lead more meaningful lives. This doesn’t mean we pretend that there are no
negative experiences. Instead, we merely acknowledge the latter, take action in
finding a solution then move on. The love that my family expresses to me and
vice versa as well as the visual reminders and gestures that we show to
ourselves, our family members and our friends is one of the reasons why life is
a beautiful gift that should be treasured and enjoyed.
I am glad to be home!