Day 42 of Thankfulness. Along a 200-meter stretch - that was our neighborhood. The street was named Trece Martirez in honor of 13 Filipino-Cavitenos who were martyred by the Spaniards signalling the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution. Our street was on the west side of town. Farther west, about 10 kilometers away was the vast expanse of the China Sea... to the east the rugged mountains where the guerillas of the past camped and plotted against the Japanese... to the north the famous Ilocos Region that would produce its most brilliant son and become the 10th President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos... to the south the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Cut out from all these, my paradise was confined within the Trece Martirez boundaries.. about 10 houses that included the Olivar house we now occupied. When the moon was full... together with neighborhood kids, we would stream out of houses and play hide and seek. During the day, we explored the abandoned house fronting our home... or the one at the back which required more daring because there was a high fence to climb. Abandoned old rusty vehicles dumped on the vacant lots were conveniently converted into playhouses where we stored our treasures. There was also an old cemetery where the tombs lay open.. they were perfect for our daytime hide and seek. During summers we would run to the open fields and fly our hand-made kites... climb fruit trees that were all around us: lomboy, star apple, macopa, chico, camachile, garnatis... or fish at a nearby brook with our fishlines made out of moms crochet thread , a wire thinly hammered to produce a hook, and wriggly earthworms we used as bait... My playmates of long ago have all left our beloved Trece Martirez... Andalet and Glecy are now settled in Chicago.... Praxy, Bebot, Dagul have moved south and succumbed to the lure and opportunity that Manila offers.... Thelma to California... and we in far-flung Kalinga. But the sweet memories of that childhood always beckon and for one more time beg to be remembered... and cherished. When I see my kids caught in the tentacles of technology... with their iphones, and ipods, and laptops... I wonder what childhood they would later look back to. Lord, thank You for the opportunity for PLAY, for the CREATIVE SPIRIT in us that allows us to enjoy the moment... Thank You for childhood PLAYMATES who filled our days with fun, laughter and adventure.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 02:57:24 +0000
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