Tweet My husband refused to listen to me the night I first learned of Amiel Alcantara’s death. As I narrated the sordid details on how Amiel Alcantara died, Butch clamped his ears, “Stop it, I don’t want to hear anymore. It is just too much” All he knows is that Amiel got ran over by a van inside the Ateneo...
read moreTweetA friend once said to me, “If someone cries in front of me, I consider it a gift.” Every third Saturday of the month, I receive this gift during the monthly meeting of The Compassionate Friends. I am honored to receive it. It’s quite common to hear oh she is so brave! when the broken-hearted person appears ...
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TweetIt’s the third saturday of the month which means that it’s the monthly meeting of the Compassionate Friends, a grief support group after the death of a child. It’s the time to pay forward and give comfort to newly bereaved parents. Sometimes I cannot even imagine myself in their shoes, going through what they...
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Tweet I declined to appear in the Sweet Life Episode on “Comforting the Bereaved” for Lorna Tolentino’s friends. My last TV appearances left me disillusioned with anything showbiz in it. Despite the tragic elements in my life, I cannot stand embellishments injected into my life story. The segment producer...
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Tweet When it comes to local showbiz scenes and Who’s Who?, I am totally clueless. Local Filipino movies just don’t interest me at all…unless I get invited by a friend or I know the people involved in the production. There is the movie The White Lady which we watched only because the director was Butch’s...
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TweetI am disappointed in the lack of balance on how media (and some blogs) are treating [tag]Mariannet Amper[/tag]‘s death. Even the Catholic Church, for goodness sake. Today is Mariannet’s burial but our beloved [tag]Catholic Church[/tag] in St. Francis of Assisi Parish Church in Barangay Ma-a is in a dilemma. She...
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Tweet If you read today’s papers, [tag]Mariannet Amper[/tag], a 12 year old girl from Davao died of suicide out of despair for her family’s impoverished life. Yesterday, Nel, a 14 year old boy climbed a flyover in Iloilo in a suicide attempt apparently fuelled by rugby. A few weeks back, Julie wrote about Kristen...
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Tweet This photo was two months after Luijoe’s death. Here are my two daughters in their early teens about to release balloons on Luijoe’s 7th birth Anniversary. The sunny skies greeted us as we celebrated that day with balloons, his favorite gummy bear, flowers , candles and incense sticks. All of us signed something...
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Tweet It’s my husband’s turn to be featured on TV . For many years after my son’s death, my husband was inconsolable often in a depressed mode. In our “modern day” society it is especially difficult for fathers to grieve openly, caught in a catch 22 of how to express the deep pain they are...
read moreTweetI have not read [tag]Harry Potter Book 7[/tag] ( [tag]Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows[/tag] ). There are rumors suggesting that one or more main characters will die. A grief counsellor claims that these deaths could cause a serious impact on children. a “certified grief counselor” is using the release of...
read moreTweetA writer of a local movie production company wanted to speak to me about The Compassionate Friends, a grief support group for family members who have lost a child through death. You know, I often receive all sorts of legitimate and stalkerish type of text messages . One time someone sent me this message “I want to be...
read moreTweetI’ve been meaning to list down 5 ways to comfort a bereaved family or relative in conjunction with Darren Rowse’s Top 5 Group Writing Project. In most of my meetings with the bereaved, a common complaint is the insensitivity of concerned friends or relatives. Of course, we know the depth of concern they have towards...
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TweetAlmost 7 years ago, my adorable son sat beside me while I worked on my computer. With both hands planted firmly on my cheeks, he asked, “Where is Heaven? Are the clouds heaven?” Unsure of the answer, I mustered to say something based on what I learned from my Grade school [tag]Religion[/tag] subject… “I’m not...
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TweetFor news on Mariannet Amper : visit my entries at Suicide, Media and Mariannet Amper and Childhood and Adolescent Suicide Deaths in the Philippines I started this blog so I could spread the word that the Philippines has The Compassionate Friends , a [tag]grief[/tag] support group for families that have lost a child or a...
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TweetA few days ago , a friend ( a member of The Compassionate Friends) and myself agreed to have an interview with Sociology students from the University of the Philippines Diliman . They are currently taking the course Sociology 182 on Qualitative Research Methods. As part of their requirements, they were tasked to accomplish a...
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TweetLast Monday, I was surprised to receive a text message from Cathy to pray for her surgery scheduled for 7:30 AM. That surprised me. I knew she had thyroid consultation and a complaint on Mittelschmertz (German for “middle pain”) and some pre-menopausal symptons. I knew something was up with Cathy because we see...
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TweetWhen I was new in my grief, many well meaning friends and relatives advised me this and that. I don’t know who among them suggested the “Healing of the Family Tree” and gave me a prayer. Each night, I was to say this prayer hoping in the belief that the curse of family deaths would end . (My 2 brothers, and a...
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TweetI am angry at this person. If I was working on my recovery program, I wouldn’t get angry. If I was a good Christian, I wouldn’t feel [tag]angry[/tag]…. If I am really using the daily affirmations about how happy I am, I wouldn’t be angry. Those are the old messages that seduces us into not feeling again....
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My grief journey culled from edited 2006-2010 blog entries are now converted to an ebook format and "Print on demand". Read story behind the ebook.
Touched by an Angel e-book is now available for purchase. For inquiries and reservations, please call Vee Press sales department at +632-712.9156 ext. 350 or email sales@vibalfoundation.org
This is about me ( a Filipina mom) and my journey to a "new normal" after the death of Luijoe , my beautiful 6 year old son.
Recovery is a work in progress.... read more?
Celebrating love , life and experience at the Lady Gaga Born This Way Ball
Bullying in Philippine Schools
A hug is a handshake from the heart
A letter to my daughters. Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough
Being romantic in Batanes : A time to celebrate the beauty, gift, and the blessing of enduring love.
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