My Christmas Past

I always miss my Grandma at this time of the year. She was half-blind on her last years. She’s one of those who are called pious, who wakes up as early as 4AM to say her rosary and novenas. She goes to church an hour early and leaves the church an hour later after each Sunday masses. Literally, she prays a lot. I don’t quiet understand her devotion and as a kid, I always thought she’s a fanatic. Now, I felt like when you get older, you become more tolerant, more relaxed and maybe she just wanted a happy death. She died at the hospital and I’d say it was only my Mom who took care of her up to her last days.

You might be thinking as to why did I mention that I always miss her at these holidays? It’s because she always wake us up (grandkids) to go to church for the Misa de Gallo or the 4AM mass (I’ve mentioned from my previous post). She can’t see the streets in the dark and our roads had plenty of holes- some concrete, some not. In the Philippines, December is a rainy season, it’s muddy and chilly. We always have to remind her to wake us up for the mass but sometimes we’re so lazy to get up and she will just go to mass by herself. My parents can’t go because nobody takes care of my younger siblings. Oh, I feel bad everytime I remember that. I’m wishing sometimes that she’s still alive. She never had a good life like we had experienced now. But I’m pretty sure, she’s very happy for all of us:)

Well, I just want to share with you my favorite Christmas song by Jose Mari Chan.

The sound of bells at early dawn
Like music from afar
Soft gentle breeze, the world at peace
A solitary star

Those joyful hymns and warm hellos
The candy canes and colored bows
All these and love are memories of
My Christmas past

Those wondrous toys of girls and boys
The cheer that Santa brings
That glorious tale of sheperd boys
Of angels and of kings

A Christmas tree with lights aglow
Some cotton snow and mistletoe
All these and love are memories of
My Christmas past

Silver and gold, red and green
Colors of a wonderful scene
Memories they keep returning
And I'm like a child again

If there's a place in time and space
Where Christmas past has gone
I'll surely try if I could fly
To see that early dawn

And share again that Christmas past
With all those who have gone
But those memories will forever live within my heart.