Prose and poetry for a great matriarch

It’s hard not to wax poetic when you write about love as a way of life. Reading the memoirs and looking at the photo albums of great matriarchs, for instance, stir the poet in you. Your imagination takes flight and in your mind you hear Aurora Cruz Romero saying:

"Much love I have given my children,
Much love they have given me.
The are my gifts from heaven.
My greatest joys, you can see."

And as you are told that she said, "I brought you up in this world with God’s wisdom, so go forth and conquer," you remember one of her son’s words: "She reared her children in the same manner and with the same love. Her mothering was a one-on-one encounter. Her love remained undiminished through the years. With that she was able to able to allow us to develop our different personalities. Her picturesque memories are indeed a testament of love."

People think of teenagers as persons standing at the floodgates of emotions – full of themselves, new thoughts, new visions, new dreams. They are a picture of thrill seekers.

But etched in the memory of her friends is an image of Aurora as a beauty queen at 16 – an unassuming girl with clear, bright, sparkling eyes that spoke of the simple joys of life.

Aurora met a man in church during the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It did not take long for him to realize that she was worthy of his undying love. For she was a mixture of sincerity, simplicity and a sound sense of values. It was in that same church on the feast of the Immaculate Conception that Dante Romero asked her to marry him.

More unforgettable than marching on the red carpet from the door to the altar, the garlands, the well-wishers and gifts galore, was how their parents (the Cruzes and the Romeros) inspired them in love and parenting.

"I cannot thank my parents enough,
For their wisdom and example.
They warded off blunders and fumbles."

Early years of married life
Their sweet relationship never soured.
In the first years of living together,
Romance of that bygone era endured.
It left a love bond no one could sever.

The coming of the children came in quick succession. The confusing patterns of childrearing in a world that was rapidly changing challenged the young couple no end. But they could not take away the joyful experiences of bringing up a brood of seven beautiful children.

Widowhood
Then Fate took a hand
And the head of the family passed away,
Oh yes, widowhood was daunting
But Aurora, the solo parent, was unflinching.
She plunged into the education of her children
And led a highly spiritual life
Even before a son who was at death’s door was miraculously saved
On the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Her efforts were rewarded
When they successfully graduated in different fields,
In law, the arts, sciences and business.

The matriarch: the grandmother
A baby cradled in their mother’s arms
A toddler holding on to Dad,
A preschooler trailing an elder
A preadolescent lad strolling
A bunch of smiling adults in their Sunday best
Eighteen strong trooping to Grandma’s spacious sala
For the much-awaited reunion,
Tots reaching for the old one’s hand
Bringing it to their forehead
Prompting a matriarchal kiss,
Then the deafening greetings,
The women’s chatter, the joking, the teasing,
The giggling, and the laughter
Interrupted only by the announcement, "Food is served,"
And the excited posing before the clicking cameras,
All for posterity,
Then, time to say goodbye
And the place is bare again,
And in silence, Grandma all alone
Closes the door and goes to her room to pray.

Aurora’s wisdom
To senior citizens, the retirees, the widows,
The homeless all over the world,
Vignettes from their lives
In memoirs and photographs
Are valuable companions
Recounting a joyous journey,
Making a 71-year-old like Aurora
Head on to 100 years.