“Be optimistic. Appreciate the moment. Listen to your gut. Do things you enjoy. Cherish the moment. Live simply. Laugh. Love generously. Forgive. Forget. Make the best out of any situation. Hold on to your dreams. Speak truthfully. Pray at all times. It's 2019. Leave everything to God.”
These words of wisdom are from the page of Nette Visperas-Delenela, who attributes them to late husband Arnel, whose snippets of advice, given daily through Facebook, regularly reminded us of what was really important: a life lived and anchored in God. It has been more than a year since Arnel passed, and it is good to note that Nette is over the devastation of losing him and over some health issues too. In her words, "It's so nice to be smiling and laughing with the world again."
Connections: Arnel was in Class 1973 of the UB Science High, which is older than the Philippine Science High, thank you very much. Yours truly was in Class 1974 and called classes 1973 and older our "manongs" and "manangs." As indeed, we are also called by classes 1975 and younger. Arnel's younger sister Michelle was a bosom buddy of my younger sister Helena, both of them from Class 1981 of same Science High.
More connections: Nette Visperas is the younger sister of Rey, bosom buddy of my own late brother Andy (Jr., Matt). Rey and Nette's sister Asunta I remember from our childhood as dashing to get into our common "service" to get to school on time. But maybe that was Nette, hah!
Their parents Nora and Rudy were friends of my parents Ruby and Andy. Uncle Rudy was also an Apache, as was my father. The former, Nette informs me, is now spending his days at a monastery called Caryana, in Pampanga. How about that.
That aforementioned school service swung through our Kisad before climbing on to Fil-Am Compound, where the Visperases lived. As did the Barroses, the Silvestres, the Espejos, some other Maryknoller families. The school was close, after all.
Lately, I find out from Nette's page that the Visperases and the Espejos are related. I ask how, and Nette explains that her maternal grandmother Vicenta "Tentay" Munsayac and Liza Espejo's paternal grandmother Mariquita were sisters. Both nee Fernandez. Liza's mom is US-based, Nette's mom has passed.
On the Espejo side, there is Liza, third of five children. Eldest is Ditas, followed by Albert, who was in Nette's class in Maryknoll, Liza, Dominic, and Mae. Albert and Liza I recall as being in UP Baguio in the very early 1980s, when I first taught there. Albert, methinks, was even a Dulaang UPCB member, one of a memorable legion led by yours truly.
Back to Nette and the post that set me on her tail: a photo of her, Arnel, Liza and hubby Rene Rondez, captioned essentially that Nette and Liza have been through the best of times and the worst of times as "cousins by blood, sisters at heart, and friends by choice."
Such a lovely way to describe their connection.