I’d be remiss not to mention my Mom’s siblings – all eleven of them. They were like the band of brothers…well, and sisters. From my vantage point as a child, I saw them as aunts and uncles who knew how to stick together through life’s ebb and flow. I’m sure there were some grown-up issues they had to paddle through but nothing fazed their resolve to bring attention to a matter important to the health of their relationship with each other and consequently, each other’s family. Though some of them lived abroad and the others scattered around the country, they never neglected coming together for life occasions as weddings, christenings, etc. Anyone that could, came, and we took time introducing and getting to know each other to the fast growing brood of Lola Maria and Lolo Mario. I could never straighten out the names of all my Mom’s siblings; in fact, I have not seen all of them until years later. These aunts and uncles – they are a class all their own. I can wax poetic about how wonderful they are but really, there aren’t enough adjectives in the dictionary to describe their amazing care, concern, love, and support for me, my Dad and my Mom through the joyous and most trying times of our lives. I am proud to call them my family and I am thankful that our becoming family was really not an accident.
Thankful for you all Aunts and Uncles: Auntie Gloria, Auntie Mary, Auntie Flora, Auntie Frieda, Auntie Phoebe, Auntie Jonah, Auntie Rhoda, Uncle Mario, Uncle Dacwag, Uncle Dicang, and Uncle Octavio. And thankful that you have exponentially grown our clan to incredible proportions with so many cool, smart, and beautiful cousins. May our tribe increase even more!