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I remember scanning through old photo albums a couple of years ago. I remember giggling and smiling at the adorable memories that were taken and developed, and I remember grimacing at the sight of some embarassing ones that were meant to be thrown into surging flames. But one picture caught my eye. I was but a chubby, semi-toothless baby. I was being carried by this tall man who was grinning from ear to ear.

Tito Omie's face can be found in several pictures that fill the pages of my family's photo albums. He was my godfather... My "maninoy" or "ninong". He was my dad's best friend and the brother that he never had. I've known him all my life and we were very close... This is why these past couple of weeks have been very difficult for my family and me.

I found it very hard to believe that he was in the ICU literally fighting for his life. Two weeks ago, my dad received a disturbing text message from the Philippines that informed us that Tito Omie had a heart attack which later led him to have a brain aneurysm. My dad was crushed and I was absolutely speechless. We prayed. That was the only helpful thing we could do. We prayed for God to grant all of us a miracle; that he would stabilize Tito Omie's condition.

Tito Chaz, our pastor back in Bacolod, informed us that Tito Omie would smile and squeeze his hand whenever he told him we were thinking about him and praying for him. My dad called Bacolod one day, giving all of us the opportunity to say a few words to him. When the phone was passed on to me, I was at a complete loss for words. An annoying lump formed in my throat, making it difficult to speak. Nevertheless, I was able to tell him how much I loved him.

Everytime the phone rang; I felt shivers run down my spine.
Everytime I saw my dad cry, I felt my heart shatter into little pieces.
Everytime a giggle escaped my lips, I felt guilty.

As I was getting ready for school this morning, I found out that every member of our church had gathered in the hospital to say their goodbyes. My dad couldn't hold back his tears any longer, but I found it difficult to get the waterworks starting. Not a single tear threatened to run down my face.

We didn't get to say a proper farewell.

It saddens me to know that I will never fall for any of his pranks anymore, that I will never feel his embrace and hear his laugh. But he's in a better place where he will no longer feel any sorrow or suffering. I know he received his warm welcome and I can picture him running into the arms of our loving Savior. Our fondest memories will remain preserved in my family's photo albums and they will be securely locked in the depths of my heart. He will be taken care of and knowing this brings me the comfort I need to carry on with the remainder of my day. I know that we'll meet again... and I'll be looking forward to that day.

Rest in peace, Tito Omie. I love you. ( 02-17-08 )

Your Yhada,
PaJiE