Windsor Trip

Several years ago I received a greeting card from a friend with these words: "Sometimes some people cross our lives and they remain in our hearts forever."

I remembered that line a few days ago when Hermie and Cristy (Sumabat) Dellosa came all the way from Windsor to pick me up in Mississauga. Our friendship goes back a long, long way... back to the year 2000 when I first came to Comembo. I was doing my house visits then and my staff (then) Oliver Palma brought me to their house to have lunch with the family. I found out they were leaving for Canada in a matter of days and I found out they were very active parishioners in MDP. I still got to invite them to attend my installation that week. Then all I can remember now was the despedida which was held in their house along Chico St. (I took pictures of the photos from that despedida which I found in their family album, and I am posting them below as well.)

The first two or three months after they left, I would receive overseas calls from Cristy. We will talk for God knows how long to update me about what was going on with their lives in Windsor and all that. Funny that we only met each other in Manila a couple of times and yet we talked like we've known each other for life. Eventually, the calls became rare. I knew they had already settled down by then and that work and other things had made them very busy. Perfectly understandable since by that time, I was already very busy with the church construction. That was nine years ago.

When I finally got the Cardinal's permission to go to Canada, I searched for them in the internet. I found Cristy. Thanks be to God for Facebook! Emails were sent and schedules were semi-finalized. One thing for sure, I will visit them in Windsor.

When they picked me up last Monday (after a long journey and mishaps...thanks but no thanks to their GPS...hehehe), I was excited. It was like seeing long lost friends. Again the irony of it all was that we've met each other only around 5 times at the most. I spent my short stay in Windsor talking to them...sharing stories about the distant past up to the wee hours...updating each other...recalling colorful personalities in Comembo. I was amazed at how Hermie and Herman (his younger brother) can still very much recall the residents of Acacia, Alagao, Apitong, Manga, Anahaw and practically every street of Comembo. I was with Hermie, Cristy and Herman for most of my stay there, enjoying meals with their families and introducing me to their very nice friends in Windsor. Bitin na bitin talaga. Before I left, Herman told me to take care of their mom. Almost all of the siblings are already in Canada except for Sis. Lanie who is in Bacolod. I understand where they are coming from. The time and the distance that have separated them from their mom is a gap too difficult to fill up.

I took the train by myself going back to Mississauga. My stay in Windsor made me miss Comembo. But when I go back home, I will surely miss them as well.