my brother, aris...
I wrote this in April of 2006.
It was a tight hug and I felt ready to burst into tears. I hastily pulled away and managed to give him a bright smile as I whispered “take care”, before I turned away and climbed into the passenger jeepney. It was the last time I saw his face and it will be a year more before I would lay my eyes on him again.
My brother Aris was born two years my junior. He is an Agribusiness Management graduate and has the knack in cooking great recipes and being funny. He dreams to own a ranch, plant vegetables and raise livestock & poultry. He believes that the only solution to the country’s economic crisis is getting right back to the basic which is agriculture. And he is now on his 1st year of being a novice at the Blessed Sacrament Seminary House in Bulacan.
It was always his dream to be a priest but my mother did not agree with his plans when he told her about it right after his high school graduation. So he studied Agribusiness Management at the State University where he got known because of his great sense of humor, funny antics, and intelligent ideas. It was also in college when he got himself brokenhearted. But maybe, it was God’s way of telling him that he was meant to serve Him because it was in Jesus he found comfort and healing.
In 2004, after twelve months of juggling between job-hunting and serving the youth in our community through the Parish Youth Ministry, he decided to pursue becoming a priest. It was difficult for my parents, specially my mother to see him leave for his first year of postulancy. The first few weeks were sad because we kept thinking how seemingly gloomy the house was without his funny disposition. I got to see him once in awhile because my job allowed me to take the three-hour ride to his seminary, and he was allowed to see visitors. It was during those visits that we got really close to each other. It was during those times when we shared our views, feelings, and plans. It was then when I realized what a waste it was living more than twenty years in the same house with him and not knowing what a treasure he truly is.
Our childhood was filled with quarrels ---not just the petty ones---but the kind that lasted many years of not speaking to each other due to sibling rivalry and pride. As the eldest, I thought then that I had the right to be dominant & bossy & brass. Stubborn & proud as Aris was, he wasn’t the type to bow down to everything I wanted and we were in constant clash with each other. It had caused our mother great heartache to see us that way. Now I realized that I should have known better than to be proud and domineering. I could have earn his respect & trust in a different way.
My mother & I took him to Bulacan for his 2-year novice in May 2005. The last email I got from him was on the following month. The Novice Director says he is doing well in the seminary. He sends text messages once in a while and nothing more. Then on my 26th birthday, he sent me a message which nearly reduced me to tears and at the same time made my heart burst with joy & love… He told me that although we’ve grown apart, deep inside, he does love me and he considers me to be his very first bestfriend….
It was a tight hug and I felt ready to burst into tears. I hastily pulled away and managed to give him a bright smile as I whispered “take care”, before I turned away and climbed into the passenger jeepney. It was the last time I saw his face and it will be a year more before I would lay my eyes on him again.
My brother Aris was born two years my junior. He is an Agribusiness Management graduate and has the knack in cooking great recipes and being funny. He dreams to own a ranch, plant vegetables and raise livestock & poultry. He believes that the only solution to the country’s economic crisis is getting right back to the basic which is agriculture. And he is now on his 1st year of being a novice at the Blessed Sacrament Seminary House in Bulacan.
It was always his dream to be a priest but my mother did not agree with his plans when he told her about it right after his high school graduation. So he studied Agribusiness Management at the State University where he got known because of his great sense of humor, funny antics, and intelligent ideas. It was also in college when he got himself brokenhearted. But maybe, it was God’s way of telling him that he was meant to serve Him because it was in Jesus he found comfort and healing.
In 2004, after twelve months of juggling between job-hunting and serving the youth in our community through the Parish Youth Ministry, he decided to pursue becoming a priest. It was difficult for my parents, specially my mother to see him leave for his first year of postulancy. The first few weeks were sad because we kept thinking how seemingly gloomy the house was without his funny disposition. I got to see him once in awhile because my job allowed me to take the three-hour ride to his seminary, and he was allowed to see visitors. It was during those visits that we got really close to each other. It was during those times when we shared our views, feelings, and plans. It was then when I realized what a waste it was living more than twenty years in the same house with him and not knowing what a treasure he truly is.
Our childhood was filled with quarrels ---not just the petty ones---but the kind that lasted many years of not speaking to each other due to sibling rivalry and pride. As the eldest, I thought then that I had the right to be dominant & bossy & brass. Stubborn & proud as Aris was, he wasn’t the type to bow down to everything I wanted and we were in constant clash with each other. It had caused our mother great heartache to see us that way. Now I realized that I should have known better than to be proud and domineering. I could have earn his respect & trust in a different way.
My mother & I took him to Bulacan for his 2-year novice in May 2005. The last email I got from him was on the following month. The Novice Director says he is doing well in the seminary. He sends text messages once in a while and nothing more. Then on my 26th birthday, he sent me a message which nearly reduced me to tears and at the same time made my heart burst with joy & love… He told me that although we’ve grown apart, deep inside, he does love me and he considers me to be his very first bestfriend….
0 comments:
Post a Comment