Nanay was buried October 14, 2010.. I read my eulogy to her in the mass before her interment..
A big thank you to all family and friends who extended their condolences and especially those who went out of their way to be with us in this difficult time.
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Josefina Caballero 1919-2010
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91 years, 8 months, 22 days
4 generations celebrated in her existence.
It will be hard not to miss Nanay. I learned a great deal of life lessons from her.
I was always Nanay’s “favorite grandchild” – well, at least I claimed to be. :)
nanay's "ate charo" when letters arrive
We bonded during weekly trips to the market. In choosing meat and vegetables, Nanay would be very particular -- just like a teenage girl shopping for shoes. After buying the freshest ingredients for her mouth-watering dishes, we would pass through this dark alley with an intoxicating aroma. Vendors would recognize their “suki” and rush to bring out the finest leaves from the depths of their store, hidden from the view of non-regular buyers. Tobacco was Nanay’s guilty pleasure, and I was her secret-keeper.
Nanay was a miser. She collected everything that could be put to use “someday”. She knew I collected new crisp money bills and would quietly add to that collection.
Though not monetarily rich, Nanay always exuded refinement. She’d buy different fabrics and create her own clothings. Even curtains and bedsheets were one of a kind. I remember Nanay sending us cute knitted dresses which she air-mailed to Korea.
dresses by nanay :)
Anyone who wore clothes ironed by Nanay knew how sharp they looked from the precise pleat intervals to the invisible hand-stitched hemline adjustments. I haven’t met anyone more meticulous.
16 years ago, Nanay had one dress specifically designed, one which I witnessed her bring out and adjust to her body measurements as she aged, and for as long as she could operate her manual sewing machine.
On October 9, 2010 she wore that dress out for the first time.
Nanay entered her 2nd childhood a few years ago and depended everything on Tatay.
March 2009, our ever-so-strong Tatay deteriorated in a matter of days, leaving everyone devastated and Nanay longing for his return. Nanay spoke less, but one word remained in her daily vocabulary: “Tatay”
In her 91 years, 8 months, 22 days, she was not only a mother to mama and mommy, or a grandmother to me, my siblings, and my cousins, or a greatgrandmother to zeik. She, in fact, was a mother to all, and always carried herself in that manner: generous, selfless, and elegant beyond compare.
I’m lucky to have grown up knowing my grandparents, I’m sure everyone who has had the privilege feels the same way, and thus now mourns in equal measure.
But more than that, I’m lucky to have had Merto and Ening for my grandparents, whose way of living was simple, yet exceptional, and whose values live on beyond death.
Now, as Nanay exits this life, we can only be happy that she has joined Tatay in a better place. A place where he has waited, patiently, for their love story to continue..
ening&merto
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