Life's Joyful Moments

It was a long weekend to remember. Not only because we felt privileged to be together as 6 sisters, to include my sister in law who recently lost our brother, her husband. But also to see the much talked about Balesin Island part of Quezon Province. It was the generosity of one sister that allowed us to bond in this mini Paradise. We remembered the memories of our youth as we   vacationed together in Baguio or Lingayen in those past hot summers.

Strong Work Ethic

We are a family with a strong work ethic. As sisters who grew up under the discipline of working yet caring parents, we were already multitasking even before the word was invented. So together with excitement we looked forward to the long weekend as a welcome respite from work. Little did we know that the weekend would hold so much surprising joy it rejuvenated not just our bodies but our souls as well.

Balesin Paradise

Balesin Island is a work of art, product of the genius of Roberto Ongpin. It allows you to enjoy seven resorts at the same time.  We lived in the beautiful suites of St. Tropez, French inspired, enjoyed the jacuzzi at Mykonos, a mini Greek village and admired the expert carvers at the Ifugao Village. We saw the replica of Barcelona at Casa del Sol, enjoyed Phuket in Thai shaped houses, enjoyed little Italy in Toscana and the Philippine village in Balesin. We had the joy of watching the Japanese Chef Edo San at the Sakura Restaurant and privileged to meet lawyer businesswoman Loida Nicholas whose selection of philanthropic projects are admirably "seemingly lost causes that others would not touch".

Photos from: www.balesin.com

Superior Quality

The resorts were of superior quality, the cuisine delicious and the white sand was everywhere. One is held breathless at the natural beauty of the Philippines, with the sun rising in the east and the gently undulating waves of the ocean. All these were impressive but what surprised me most were the conversations among us sisters that give  us "surprisingly joyful moments" grateful to be together after quite a long time and gently move out of our grieving period for our eldest brother.

                                                           

Myriad of Stars

The night we arrived, we were out in the terrace, when everything went dark, it maybe the resort switching generators. Yet in the darkness, we saw a cloudless night with myriads of stars. It was as if God has prepared this special display of beauty for us. One of us remarked, "This must have been similar to the spectacle enjoyed by Abraham, when God told him his descendants would be as many as the stars in the night sky." 

Caring for the Environment

This statement made us renew our faith, our deep faith nurtured by parents who made sure we went to Catholic schools, even if it meant great sacrifice on their part. As we took the jeepney to go for lunch we saw the rain water reservoir and the marshes and mangroves that protect the island.  We realized how God sustains the earth, how He holds it tenderly in the palm of His hands and if we respect and protect the environment He is faithful in His provisions. It reminded me of the Gaia theory that tells us that the earth is alive. We admired how intricately development is undertaken side by side with protecting nature.

Tricks and Pranks

As we played tricks and pranks with one another (as we use to do when we were kids) we began to realize how two of us have rather delicate health and how we have to pray for each other and demonstrate great concern. We are like perfect machines created by God and we have to learn to listen to the inner workings of our bodies and keep in good health. We started to recognize how when we get to our golden years our fragility increases and so must our loving one another.

Dignity and Respect

We grew up with much respect esteeming each other's talents and competencies. While our discussions around politics may sometimes turn into debates, we never sacrificed our relationships in trying to prove the rightness of our views. We could not recall any incidents of sibling rivalry growing up. We simply rejoiced in the victories of our sisters.  For this mindset there was the jump of joy in our hearts as we recalled our parents, who never played favorites, always reminding us to act with grace and dignity.

Impromptu Schedule

Those days we fell into an impromptu schedule, active activities in the morning, after lunch watching together and crying to Filipino films like "One More Try" and "It Takes a Man and a Woman". Towards sunset of those beautiful days we would together walk the beach of St Tropez and pray the rosary together. Then we went out for dinner, even dancing to the trio led by bass vocalist Jun Victorino, whose music repertoire they customized to our era.  It was then more stories, one on one or one on group in a wonderful "sisterhood".  I don't wonder that God when He became man chose to live in a family.

The day we flew out in small planes feeling refreshed and light within us (though we knew typhoon Labuyo was coming) we thanked God for blessing our vacation and marking our lives with joyful moments. We thanked Him for giving us such a lovely country and giving us an opportunity to visit the beautiful island of Balesin.