Pasalubong

Pasalubong: souvenir, remembrance

The white, red, & black name bracelet that has decorated my wrist for the past month has become a part of me. No longer do I notice that it's on my wrist or that sometimes its colors don't match what I'm wearing. No longer does it bother me when I take a shower or type on a keyboard. When people comment on it, it takes me a little while to realize that I'm even still wearing it.

Sometimes I forget that this was the very last pasalubong I received in the Philippines. My last encounter with the amazing brothers & sisters of Onesimo occurred during their rehearsal for Foundation Day (celebration of Onesimo's birthday). We had a short 45 minutes to say our goodbyes (because we got lost getting there) and just as we were leaving Ate Melissa surprised me with the name bracelet that has never left my wrist since that day. She tied it to my arm and said, "This is for you ate. A remembrance."

What scares me is that though the bracelet has remained tied to my wrist, the feelings & memories that were tied to the bracelet are not as strong as they once were. It's not just enough to have a physical pasalubong. Somehow I have to learn how to store their stories, their love, & their laughter as an eternal pasalubong in my memory and my heart.

Father, help me remember.