Do more of the things that bring you joy!
It has been over five months of this abnormal life setting due to the pandemic. We have suffered a lot due to covid-19 either by contracting the disease, losing a job, declining business, shrinking assets, compromised mental health, etc.
Moreover, we seem to be running in circles – from ECQ to MECQ to GCQ and back to…I’ve lost track already. Quarantines are implemented in order to buy time to put things in place – health-wise and business-wise, but up to now we are still lacking in standard protocols and clear plans on how to address the situation. First day of classes for public schools has been postponed to October while their private school counterparts already started. Our presidential spokesman just said, “Ako po ay nagagalak na hindi tayo 100% nawalan ng trabaho…45% pa lang po ang nawawalan ng trabaho!” Talk about #ToxicPositivity.
It’s really a crazy world that we are in right now. As we navigate our respective worlds in order to survive and hopefully still thrive, I wish to remind everyone to find time to do the things that bring us joy.
Exactly one week ago, my marriage to my favorite person in the world turned 31! The day before it, our musician during last year’s Pearl Wedding Anniversary, Jay Gomez, told Marvin that he wanted to gift us with music on our anniversary – i.e. he will play his flute to render our favorites like Ennio Marricone's Love Affair and of course his version of Panunumpa which was our lovely march song last year. When Marvin told me about this, my then busy mind just halted and started to think of happy things – I want to celebrate our wonderful union again!
My youngest son Anton narrates what happened to his co-hosts VJs Robi Domingo, Ai Dela Cruz, Samm Alvero, Dani Mortel, and Edward Barber in this Myx episode. Watch this at minute 18:20 – 20:43:
A wedding prepared in 24 hours
In 24 hours I was able to text, call and convince the following people to take part in our sixth wedding: Fr. Johnny Go, S.J., former president of Xavier School and now the head of Ateneo’s SALT Institute (Science and Art of Learning and Teaching) to give us a special blessing, my friend Karen of Karen's Sweet Kitchen to bake a naked wedding cake for us (good thing I kept my wedding topper last year), a friend of a friend, Rina Santos, to provide a bouquet, headdress, and boutonnière. The boys took care of ordering the food from Albas.
We fixed up a mini altar by the foyer, as suggested by our driver cum photographer. He said it’s the part of the house that looks most like a cathedral because of the high ceiling, stained glass, and chandelier. 
Our helper put white cloth on our table to make it look like an altar - complete with candles, flowers, images of Jesus and Mama Mary, and… computer on zoom where Fr. Johnny Go was shown on screen via zoom.
At five in the afternoon, Jay started to play on flute the beautiful song Panunumpa composed by Fr. JBoy, S.J. My groom, now sporting gray hair but still with that bedimpled smile that never ceases to warm my heart, started marching to the “altar.” He was followed by our sons Martin, Enrique and Anton, doing our usual wedding march of them stopping at some spots of the “aisle.” (We did this in our Silver and Pearl Weddings.) Then came the bride, also sporting a few strands of gray hair (no salon since quarantine) and wrinkles err…laugh lines, flashing her ear-to-ear grin as she was escorted by one son on each third of the “aisle.”
Fr. Johnny gave us a short marital and family blessing that ended in “You may now kiss the bride!” This was followed by a mini flute concert by Jay Gomez, also via zoom, in our living room. Delicious dinner followed complete with cutting of the cake and a couple game.
I wish to share some photos with you. (Who knows I might even come up with a wedding video, to be shared with the subscribers of FQMom.com.)
My crazies
All of us are crazy in our own way, and this could be mine. I take after my mom who also said “I do!” many times to my father, celebrating their milestone weddings until they reached Diamond Anniversary.
Some might ask, “FQ Mom, isn’t that in conflict with being ‘FQ-ripot?’”
Weddings are really expensive but there are various ways to go about them. This one in particular was of course inexpensive because it was just the five of us, no new clothes, no venue, photographer, videographers, etc. But if you ask me if I will again celebrate our next milestone wedding when we turn Ruby? The answer yes.
As I get older, the more I realize the importance of using our resources on the things that we value. I really value my relationship with my husband and I plan to celebrate it not just on milestone anniversaries but maybe every year or every day. That thing we did on August 12 has given me enough deposits in my love tank again. So, it doesn’t matter if it’s crazy (i.e. not practical) because for me, it’s a worthwhile investment that gives returns that beat even the stock market and other high-yielding investments out there.
How about you? What are your “crazies?” Let this article remind you to do more of those crazy things that bring you joy. Because those “crazies” are what will help you survive this crazy world we’re in right now.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Have you checked our enhanced website? I invite you to check it out and tell me what you think. Click FQMom.com.
2. The FQ Community held its FQ-quaranty (FQ Party in Quarantine) last August 15, 2020. It was a fun and insightful event. Do you want to take charge of your financial life now? Join us. We’d love to have you. Click to join the FQ Community!
3. Pru Life UK by Alexandrite 2 Training Department will be having its 2nd Season of “Life – Finance Webinar Series #1” this coming Aug. 22, 2020. I’ll be talking about taking care of financial health.
4. Reading is another coping mechanism for the lockdown. If you haven’t yet, may I invite you to read any of the FQ Mom books?
