Monday, October 17, 2016

Bonding Time for the Librero Clan





October 16, 2016 was my Kuya’s (Dr. Flor Librero’s) 82nd birthday, but he could no longer be physically present.  He set for a new journey at 11:16 p.m., September 24, 2016.  However, to honor him on his 82nd birthday, Jegs helped our nieces and nephews conceptualize, plan, and implement a clan bonding where said nieces and nephews shared with one another their experiences with Kuya Flor when he was still in this world.  What I tried to do was simply relate stories about Kuya’s younger years that his nieces and nephews didn’t know about, as well as provide stories that served to piece together the otherwise incoherent and unrelated stories.  Essentially, therefore, we're talking here of the Shepherd of Panyesanan.  

This clan bonding was neither a celebration nor mourning, just coming together to talk about brief encounters with the honoree.  There were two aspects of this: first, each had a letter that she/he burned after which the ashes were placed in zip lock bag attached to two big balloons that were released into the sky; and second, each had a chance to relate his/her story about his/her experience with Kuya when he was still alive.

Kuya Flor never talked about himself in public, only in very private conversations with specific individuals.  Consequently, each individual knew only an aspect of Kuya’s private life, that which may be relevant to the individual and nothing much more.  I had the honor of providing the vignettes that served to tie all these experiences together that ultimately resulted in a complete story.

Obviously, we can’t provide that story here and now, but it has been conceptualized as a volume of narratives about brief encounters with Ka Tinong Librero.  To be sure, most of the stories related by the nieces and nephews were of recent vintage, stories they have experienced while visiting Panyesanan in Lipa City.  My wife, Jegs, sister Nita, and I provided the “missing” links from the past and even in contemporary times focusing on many philosophical aspects of Kuya’s beliefs and private life from our perspectives.

What happened in this clan bonding activity was well beyond Jegs’ and my expectations.  We realized that the visits of his nieces and nephews were not only of the “tourist” type.  Such visits were more anchored on highly meaningful experiences such as knowing more about Kuya’s philosophy of life, and pieces of advise which may not have meant much then but which have turned out to be extremely meaningful and prophetic. Kuya, myself, and our sister, Nita, may have stuck to our traditional clan value system of a strict hierarchical relationship, but whatever love, concern, happiness, sadness, consideration for others,  etc. there may be we all share internally.  Only when one passes away that we realize the depth of the emotional ties that have bound us together.

The activities for this clan bonding included burning of letters to Kuya.  The ashes were placed in zip lock bag, attached to big balloons, then released into the sky.  The second major part of the clan bonding activity was the sharing of experiences with Kuya Tinong by his nieces and nephews.   




  

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