When Tito and I met in May 1964, he claims it was "Love at first sight! I don't know what made it so, but that was the start of it all. And this was the beginning of our love story.
On the day we got married in January 1968, he has called me "Sweetheart ever since. He gave me the crown to be the queen of his life, a crown that was made of the most precious metal - his genuine love for me.
As the years went by, we have been adding precious jewels in that crown. On our first year, God gave us Alma, glimmering with so much glow with the radiance of her smiles. After two years, our second jewel Grace came and she was bubbling and glowing more. Two years later, Jane was born with her cuddly ways, completing a trio of bright shining jewels.
Our life in Indonesia was blessed with a lot of good times, as we stuck together as a family. In the Jakarta International School, the three of them made their way to the honor roll, and enjoyed their young years undertaking extra-curricular activities that rounded their personalities. Our annual visits to the Philippines, with side trips to other ASEAN capitals, enabled us to expand our experiences.
In 1979, while we were in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Elaine came along, adding another jewel to my crown. Back to Jakarta, Vernon, the most awaited boy, was born in 1981, and that completed the five major gems.
Each of them has their own color, shine, cut, clarity and size. They all glowed in their respective fields of endeavor and every time they have an accomplishment, we were proud to show off the crown.
Years went on and my crown was filled with more gems. One was added when Grace got married to Lyndon, plus three gems with their Angelica, Jojo & RG. Then Alma got married to Peter, and their union brought in Kei, Janelle and Megan. And Jane married Caps to complete the crown that I now wear, shining at this moment.
Together with Tito, my sweetheart, we share the pride and joy of showing off our jewels! And we are still expecting to add more jewels, courtesy of Elaine and Vernon!
As we enjoy the last quarter of our lives, we will do our part in caring for this growing crown, to keep its luster, to make it gleam and shine. After all, nothing compares with this priceless crown.
