Singapore Branch of the family!

"Holy Family Day - Holy Innocents Day" - December 28, 2008

"All families are dysfunctional," said Father Tom Belczak in his homily today. His point is that if we truly believe that Jesus is God became man, then, we also believe that "The Holy Family" was fashioned and behaved like all families do. Like all families, there were good times as well as bad times, failures and successes, always bound with love.

All my life, I have longed for family. Family became an obsession as well as a compulsion - always with my eye on the ideal! I feel rather foolish but I continue to connect and search as well as love.

I have my blood families - my mother's side: Rivera, Montecillo, de la Cruz (Lola Bette is a de la Cruz from Kalibo, Aklan), Menchavez, Elliott, etc., my father's side: Rojo, Oro, Loyola, etc., my children's side: Rankine, Ouellette, Fitch, etc.

I have my family of choice. Folks I care for very much; folks I felt cared for me very much; folks I came to know and love through the years from Catmon to Vallejo to Naha to Paducah to Long Beach to Christchurch to Ejido Rancho Nuevo and Ejido Santa Maria to Garden City, Plymouth, Livonia and Northville, to San Francisco and the Bay Area; folks who allowed me the privilege of sharing joys and tears, struggles and successes.

Most of all, folks who have accepted me and allowed me to be - no apologies, no conditions, no judgment,no punishment, no regrets, no retributions.

I am very blessed. May you be blessed also. I thank you all for being my family!

I wish you all a "Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!"

A Prayer for a New President and a New America

by Shane Claiborne
http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/?p=3639


God of Abraham, Miriam, Hannah, Rizpah, and David...
God of Elijah, Amos, Ruth, Isaiah, Deborah...
God of Mary, John the Baptizer, Peter, Paul, Philemon and Onesimus...
God of Anthony, Ambrose, Dirk Willems, Teresa of Avila, and Francis of
Assisi,
God of Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, William
Wilberforce, and Oscar Romero
and God of love, grace, and hope...

Thank you for creating a perfect world.
Forgive us for the mess we have made of it.
Thank you for creating Jubilee, gleaning, and Sabbath as patterns to
ensure that the poor are cared for, the earth rests, and inequality is
dismantled.
Forgive us for choosing the patterns of empire.
Thank you for using the weak things to shame the strong and the
foolish things to confound the wise.
Protect us from becoming too strong or too wise.
Protect us from ourselves.

Forgive us...
for the groaning of creation
for the millions who die of hunger and curable diseases
for warehousing people in prisons and using them for labor
for the scandal of billions wasted in war
for worrying about tomorrow and storing up more than this day our
daily bread
for an economy that mirrors the seven deadly sins
for our Caesars and our Herods
for the violence and greed in our own hearts
Save us from ourselves.

Deliver us...
from the arrogance of power
from the myth of redemptive violence
from the tyranny of greed
from the ugliness of racism
from false hope and counterfeit change
from the cancer of hatred
from the seduction of wealth
from the idolatry of nationalism
from the paralysis of cynicism
from the ghettoes of poverty
from the ghettoes of wealth
from the blood-stained pages of history
and from the legacy of slavery.
Deliver us oh God.

Give us the courage...
to bless the poor in a world that blesses the middle class.
to bless the meek in a world that admires aggression.
to bless the hungry in a world that feeds the already fed.
to bless the merciful in a world that shows no mercy on evildoers.
to bless the pure in heart in a world of clutter and noise.
to bless the peacemakers in a world that baptizes bombs.

Give us imagination...
that we might not conform to the patterns of this world.
that we might shatter indifference and interrupt injustice with grace
that we might choose the cross over the sword
that we might be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves
that we might consider the lillies and sparrows as they shame Wall
Street's splendor
that we might choose the dream of God over the dreams of nations
that we might cling to the God that so loved the world, not just America
that we might allow our Jesus to change America rather than America to
change our Jesus.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

For the Children

From: Marian Wright Edelman, Children's Defense Fund [mailto:mwe@childrensdefense.org]
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 5:17 PM
To: Rankine, Edna
Subject: This Historic Election and Our Children's Future



________________________________________
Dear CDF Supporter:

A cartoon published in the early 1960s depicted a Black boy saying to a White boy: "I'll sell you my chance to be President of the United States for a nickel." At the time the cartoon appeared, Barack Obama was a toddler. There were only five Black Members of Congress and about 300 Black elected officials nationwide. The Voting Rights Act hadn't been passed and the overwhelming majority of Black Southerners were disenfranchised.

It is with great pride that I, along with Americans of all races, religions and ethnic backgrounds across our vast nation congratulate President-Elect Obama on his historic election. His road to the White House has led Americans from all walks of life to embrace a new hope for national unity, and this transformational election offers the promise of moving the country in a new direction.

Yesterday's election is a reminder that the United States is still a place of bold ideas and a beacon of hope. It says to every child of color and every poor boy and girl that you belong too, and you do have a future. Throughout America's history, race has been a noose choking our capacity to soar. At a time when we face a great litany of problems, it is moving to see the American people's common sense and faith trump fear. It is truly a triumph that yesterday Americans voted for competence and a new vision, regardless of race.

But President-Elect Obama cannot do the job alone. Leaders are only as good as citizens demand them to be, and we must create a citizens' movement that will fight to provide every child in America with health coverage, that will work to end child poverty, and that will stop funneling children down a prison pipeline that threatens to re-segregate our nation.

Now the real hard work begins. As President-Elect Obama charts his course during this transition period, I urge him to place our nation's children at the center of his administration's priorities. We must fight to create a level playing field for every child in every corner of America and invest in our human capital, which will determine the vibrancy of America`s leadership in the new century. It is a new day in America, and it is a time for all of us to step forward together for children since they own the future.

Sincerely,


Marian Wright Edelman
President, Children's Defense Fund


________________________________________
Children's Defense Fund
25 E St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
www.childrensdefense.org
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To My Family

" I believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for oneself, one's own family or nation, but for the benefit of all humankind. Universal responsibility is the key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace". Dalai Lama

My sentiments exactly. I lifted this quote from a new friend I acquired in "Facebook". It is great that I am able to connect to a lot of my relatives in this great social network, the added freindships are a bonus.

I have not posted for a long, long time. I continue to be very, very busy; mostly doing things to meet the challenges the Dalai Lama spoke about. I want to set a good example to the young ones, I want the elders to be proud of me.

I love what I am doing! I hope to continue "doing" after I retire - I am getting there soon, if I ever retire. I have joined the "Lion's Club". I will be inducted in two weeks and received my first pin from another club yesterday.

On the downside, the doing leaves very little time for "being" - for taking care of Ethna Maria (yes, in my heart I am Ethna Maria Montecillo). Case in point, I was sooo busy last week, that my car is sitting at the Madonna University parking lot. My friend Larry told me that it was on empty last Wednesday.

Because it is the first week of the semester, I have not been able to make it home until at least 8:00 PM. No cash in my pocket and have not been able to make it to the bank. So when I left last night at 6:00 PM - the car stopped and the banks were closed. My friend Ray Gulley brought me home. Thank God, I have some wonderful friends.

I walked to church today - I could use the exercise for sure! Northville is a great walking town - unusual for suburban Detroit. After church, I decided to stop at the library - half way between my house and church - gave me a chance to rest and check Facebook and post.

That is how I found this quote that I lifted from the page of a new friend, based in Washington DC.

I love you family - take of each other as well as the other folks around you! May God Bless You Always!

Ilaya - Illahee (Il-ah-ha-he-ye)

Titi Bebeng gave me this photo the last time I was in Catmon. I am sure that almost all of the young ones have grown up. Hope some members of the family have a chance to read my posts and send me family updates with updated photos.



Lola Sayong was always in charge of dishing out the rice at "family gatherings" in Catmon; Tata Batyong was the "Cucinero" or "Chief Cook!" Pity, I can not find my pictures of Tata.

Ilaya is one of my favorite hang outs when I was growing up. The English translation of illahee (Il-ah-ha-he-ye) is "land that gives comfort." It is a word used by one of the indigenous First Nations tribe in the Pacific northwest, around Vancouver, British Columbia. The word struck a chord because of the close pronunciation to ilaya as well as the approximate meaning of the word.

When I think of ilaya - I think of cool comforting afternoon breeze, the soothing sound of the river and lots of "fun stuff" to do! An added attraction for me was playing with Lucia and the other Molde girls at the house of Tata Batyong and Lola Sayong.

Going to Ilaya was very comforting for Lola and me. Comforting to her because of her promise to Lolo Milong to take care of the "Kalubihan" and his children. I was very disappointed on my last trip that the property have lost it's soul - very derelict and empty. It broke my heart! I spent a lot of time in the summer planting bananas, coconuts and smoking the tambis trees, clearing around the "sabana" trees and just clearing, clearing, clearing!

The first house was close to the river, not far from the Talisay tree at "labangon" in Lolo Teyoy's property. The house use to have this lime tree (suwa) that we used to pick when we washed our hair in the river. That house was destroyed by a typhoon; so Tata Batyong and Lola Sayong moved to Lola Elyang's house at the other end of the property.

The hair washing routine included grating the coconut (Kudkud) to get the milk out. The coconut milk is then used to wash our hair with the lime juice. Sometimes Lola Sayong would pound some kind of root from a tall grass (tangad???) and mix it in. I had very long hair. Talking about fragrant, well conditioned hair - all organic, too!

Finding this picture of Lola Sayong made me think of the house and the "snug fit" it had against the hill side. We used to go out in the back and try to find guavas or just to climb up the hill. At night some of our covers were made of "saguran."

Comforting because the food was always great - fresh utan, fresh fish when Tata was able to catch them - especially the red ones. Lola Sayong always had a variety of foods that I would otherwise not have tasted or have known the origin - like "landang", a salad made of banana hearts with coconut milk dressing and "atsal."

Uy, I was in San Francisco a couple of years ago and Nanay served "atsal" - I said this is Lola Sayong's recipe - where did you get it? Sure enough, the "atsal" was made by Juliana Molde. I think I can identify Lola Sayong's "templa" of that "atsal" anywhere.

Easter Celebration Menu

The Children's Table










Donna and Frank hosted the family party in their home in Sterling Heights.

As a family, we try to have a get together as often as we can - we have such very hectic schedules so everyone contributes to the menu.

We had the following:

Lauren: Anti pasto Salad and Green Bean Casserole
Nicole: Chocolate Fountain with Fruits and Snacks; Drinks
Julie: Italian Breaded Chicken
Karen: Fresh Kielbasa Sausage, Mixed Vegetables and Steamed Green beans w/ Almonds
Edna: Pancit and Deviled Eggs
Donna: Roasted Chicken, Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheesy Potatoes, Bread
Mom Gladys: Better Than Sex Cake and Cherry Cheesecake
Larry: Yellow Cream Cake

The Babies I Left Behind

This is Roy D. Montecillo's family in New Jersey. We reconnected on Facebook.

Titi Bebeng's eldest son was my first baby in Catmon. I felt very special when Titi Bebeng took me to Southern Islands Maternity Hospital to pick Tia Moning and Baby Roy. We drove to Catmon in this huge car. I must have been 10 years old. I just started hanging out at Tata Batyoung and Lola Sayong's house after Roy was born.

I love babies - after Roy, there was Lloyd - Tio Inteng and Tia Quiling's son; then there was Eva and Eunice - Tia Evangeline's daughters.

Gosh, I am showing my age, aren't I?