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The AMCO Beach Hotel in Labasin the evening of March 20, 2002 may have seemed odd to some
sightseers. In the midst of so much anxiety,
a group of revelers in their mid-60s were singing, dancing and doing lots of shaking
hands.
For the Record: We were the few surviving members of Class 52, first graduates of MCHS. Having graduated fifty years ago where the Korean
War ended in a draw, we had returned in our golden years—with the world once again in
brink of war, this time, with terrorism.
A disheartening coincidence, to be sure. But
our practical acquaintances with facts had led to a perceptiveness of ages: Life is too short to fritter away time on
distraught and fear. Vita, a retired
elementary school supervisor and planner of the homecoming said, “We were really
resolute not to let anything keep us from getting together.” There was consciousness that this could be our
last reunion, so we had a ball!
Most had come all over the province of Aurora, some from out of the province, and three
from the United States, flying despite concerns about air safety because of the tragic
event of September 11. “It’s
that ‘can do’ spirit that we learned from MCHS” said Gloria G. Calugtong, a
retired elementary school teacher. “We
were endowed that we could do anything we set our minds to.”
Forty-seven graduated from MCHS in the summer of March 1952. We were children of the 30s’, of modest
means if not outright poor. But our school
was led by pioneers of Carmelite missionaries that prepared us for the future, where many
went to become educators.
Because of World War II and knowing how difficult things could be, we were taught to make
the most of our means to combat adversity. With
strong will power, home training, church and school, we were able to get-through.
Inevitably, as the years wore on, the class reunion grew smaller. Illness and other oddities became constant
remainder of life’s fragility. It
was noted at the reunion that 15 of our classmates had already passed away; and for the
twenty members who attended, each hug, clasp of hands and pat on the back was extra
special.
The four-day reunion included a reception, a festive ground breaking of Mount Carmel
Alumni Park, and a dinner party. Still to my
own personal experience, it was impossible to totally ignore the backdrop of warnings of
more terrorist attack to come. At
first, I was thinking, ‘Oh, those friends and former coworkers of mine in the
Pentagon.’ But as the attacks spread, I
began thinking about my relatives in New York City, and became worried. Eventually, I had to change the channel, an
attempt not to be conscious about the tragedy.
On Sunday we attended the church service and prayed to reassure that God would not leave
us comfortless. And when the time came for
the congregation to stand and greet one another, it seems that hugging and shaking hands
would never end.
Seeing classmates you haven’t seen in a long time brought back that sense of
closeness and friendliness we used to have. I
had a strong feeling about being with those guys again. As one said, “Good friends
are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget.” My classmates are like stars, you don’t
always see them, but you know they are always there.
Life is precious, even if it doesn’t come with guarantee. If you don’t look around once in a while,
you might miss it. Even God won’t
guarantee life in this world! “I just pray and take it one day at a time.”
And as my classmates showed on the dance floor, I savor each conversation I had with them. It was a night of splendor and an affair to be
remembered.
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