From sunrays to moonbeams / common sense, sensibility

Jennifer (Jenny) G. R. Wallum (MBE) is president/founder of the Entrepreneur Volunteer Assistance (EVA) which helps poor people in remote villages around Mt. Pinatubo. EVA which has garnered several awards for its humanitarian services, keeps Jenny travelling a good deal. At home, Jenny writes.

Her “From Sunrays to Moonbeams, A Collection of Short Stories from My Garden,” bears the following: “Dedicated to my father, Gordon Gordon Russell, who taught me to observe, love and respect nature and God’s creatures, and to my mother, L. Muriel R. Parr-Burman who taught me how to hold a pen and draw.” – Manila, Philippines, 1991

This is the introductory line: “Nestled amongst the trees in an old village in Makati lies a garden . . . ”

Inevitably, the dedication explains the collection. Jenny writes on nature — the weather, the moon, clouds, the sky, earthquakes, etc., and on animals: birds, doves, bats, dogs, cats, squirrels and insects — even cockroaches! Inevitably, too, Jenny illustrates her subjects with fine drawings. The fusion is charming and fascinating; the short stories will appeal to nature and animal lovers and, doubtless, to the literati for the writer’s poetic style.

The collection opens with these lines:

I walked this morning

in shadows of evening

with the noon heat

burnt into my mind

and then I remembered

the dewness of morning

and left the evening

behind.

The collection closes with these lines:

I knew that if I sat there

for long enough one day

Spring would turn to Summer

and green grass into hay

But somewhere patience withered,

no longer I remained

than takes a bee to gather

one golden pollen grain.

Yet now, as grey I sit here

the thoughts of that same day

are like an age of wonder

which cannot pass away.

Life never can be lonely

if each day you re-learn

to see and smell and hear

as that child in the country lane.

Yes, Autumn follows quickly

with Winter on its heel

but still there’s always wonder

as each new day begins.

Jenny encloses a leaflet on EVA which we can help by purchasing the beautiful handicrafts the villagers make. Outlets are Silahis Arts and Artifacts (Intramuros), Tesoro’s and its branches. By buying native products, we will not only be easing the plight of the villagers in remote areas but also significantly propelling the country’s economy.

*      *      *

Shortly after Mely Concepcion (Mrs. Paing Hechanova) celebrated her birthday in style, a book entitled “Mely: Common Sense and Finer Sensibilities” came out.

Mely is a fascinating mix of contradictions. She once serve 50 different kinds of dessert yet her favorite dish is the poor man’s tuyo. Further, her gourmet menus are served on tables elegantly decorated. Simple and unassuming in manner and speech, she wears ravishingly sophisticated gowns, fabulous jewelry, the latest in bags and shoes.

Author Chit J. Lijauco records the lives of the Concepcions before, during and after the war, their diverse activities, and their residences in elite neighborhoods.

Love is the guiding principle in Mely’s life: her love as the only daughter of industrialists Jose Concepcion and Herminia Quisumbing Santos, as sister of giant entrepreneurs, Jose, Raul and Rene (who has passed away), as wife of distinguished architect and Rotarian Paing, as mother to Renna, Rafael, Jr., Raissa and Riana.)

Mely’s little known community service and charities are recognized by international VIPs and royalty. In sum, common sense and finer sensibilities characterize Mely.