Remembering Lolo and Lola

We started our yearly visit to our departed loved ones today ( a holiday here in Manila).My closest loved ones who have already left us would be my Grandfather (who died in August 2003) and Grandmother (who died in March 1998) . They are parents of my Mom. I would like to write about them and how they influenced my life:

1. My love for travel is greatly influenced by them. I still remember clearly when my grandfather joined the United Nations when I was about 4 years old. He was assigned in Zambia, Africa for several years and my grandmother would regularly write us, their grandchildren, about their adventures in Africa and their visits to several European countries. We would receive pictures of them in different countries, postcards, and letters. After the African assignment, my grandfather would be assigned to Egypt and Singapore for several years. But their greatest pleasure was to travel, and so they spent a lot of their R&R visiting Europe and the United States.

2. Both my grandfather and grandmother started their careers as teachers. My grandfather taught for several years as an expert with the United Nations and several universities as lecturer. And, he taught at a business graduate school until he was way past retirement age! I may have gotten some of my inspiration from them as a teacher. Unfortunately, they were not able to witness my career as a teacher, but I'm sure they're proud of what I do now.

3. My grandfather was able to successfully balance professional work as well as teaching. He was able to rise from the ranks to become one of the top executives in several corporations, while also teaching part-time in the evenings ( and I think only because he really loves teaching!).

4. My love for studying could be from my grandfather. My grandfather graduated with a degree in Education first, but that did not stop him from studying further. He continued on to finish his Accounting, Law and Masters in Industrial Relations degrees thereafter.

5. My grandmother was a very devoted wife and mother, and took very good care of my grandfather and their family very well. She became a very good cook and we would all look forward to Sunday lunches that she would lovingly prepare. I'm not a good cook, but I am inspired by how she took care of her family while my grandfather worked very hard. I hope I can be a good wife, too.

6. All throughout my life, I've heard stories of how my grandparents helped a lot of people, from relatives to friends, subordinates, househelp and a lot of other people. Their help were in several forms, including financial and emotional. I hope Hubby and I can also make a difference in the lives of other people.