As we
celebrate the coming of our Lord, we ask that His glorious coming enlighten us
with his message of hope, faith and love during this Christmas
season.
This year
about to end was both a challenging one but a happy journey for the members of
our Joaquin family. Chita continually works closely with
our church, St. Clare, the biggest parish in the Diocese of Sacramento
made up of 45,000 families from various national strains. Chita has been
actively serving as one of the Eucharistic Ministers and sits as one of the
five members of the Finance Council and a member of the Filipino Liturgy
committee. Tony on the other hand, when called upon, conducts talks on
"How to write a memoir." for different senior communities around
the neighborhood.
We
never fail to thank the Lord that our children and their families are
blessed with good health and are happy with what they are doing. Despite
the fact that Cristina and Lizza live far away from us, we manage to see them
when their schedules allow. We are happy to spend a few days with Lizza when
she visited us in October. We never fail to bond with Cristina every time she
has a regular flight to San Francisco. We are glad that Jay and his family live
in San Francisco which is a short trip from our place. As for Bobby and Gina,
we see them often for they are five minutes away from us.
Our
grandsons are awesome: Mikee is now doing choreography based in Queensland,
Australia. Nico on the other hand is graduating next year with a BS in
Kinesiology and is doing Apostolic work by teaching religion classes to 5th and
6th graders in our parish. Julian, who is 10 years old, was awarded the "Super Kid" for the month of
October for his outstanding academic performance. He also garnered the title of
"Athlete of the month" for his
distinctive skills in basketball and Soccer.
In
April, we found ourselves in a cruise through the Panama Canal locks. Chita was able to record this trip on film
especially the dramatic opening and closing of the locks to accommodate a ship
passing through. During this cruise they were able to tour Cartagenas, Aruba,
Costa Rica, Panama and Grand Cayman.
After
the cruise Tony's kidney was found to be failing and therefore he had to begin
dialysis. He goes to a nearby center three times a week for three hours each
time. Happily, the hemo dialysis is doing him good for Tony is now healthier,
stronger and in good spirits.
With
Tony's regained energy, his doctors gave him permission to travel to Manila in
September to attend the wedding of Chita's godson, June Fernandez to Donna
Soriaga. Before the wedding, We took a trip to Palawan, enjoyed the city's
tourist attractions and its beaches. We also experienced sailing through the
famed underground river with interesting rock formations which make river
cruise worthwhile.
While
in Manila, we were able to visit friends and relatives especially those who
were sick.
A
happy event was the luncheon that Tetau (Cesar) and Carmen Sison hosted for
Tony and attended by fellow Ateneo High School class 1948 at their residence.
The
Pandamates (a group of friends we travelled with to China) hosted a luncheon
for us. We regret to learn of the passing of Tom Tan one of the Pandamates last
Dec. 11 from live cancer.
For
the first time, we were able to see the newly constructed house of Cristina and
Jowin at Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, a new development of the Ayala Corporation. We were sorry to hear that Jowin’s father,
Honore, passed away on December 15.
An
unexpected event was that we were very happy to bond with Zenaida’s son and our
nephew Chip, his wife Sarah and his son Soli whom we have not seen for a long,
long time. Chip and Sarah are continuing their studies in Cebu. Soli is such an
adorable kid.
We
continue to pray for the victims of that terrible earthquake and supertyphoon
that ravaged Leyte and neighboring towns as the poor survivors painfully try to
rebuild their lives and livelihood. We pray that God give them much needed
comfort and resignation for their lost ones.
We
fervently wish that you have a Blessed Christmas and a more peaceful New Year
filled with hope and love.
Tony and Chita
December 2013
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