This
is an article from my old (now retired) blog that was published years ago. In
this time of pandemic when many people’s lives are in an extremely bad state, I
thought it would be timely to repost this. I always say: “Happiness is a choice and a disposition of my heart.
It is not dependent on my situation.” Train yourself to see miracles every day.
“A joyful heart makes a cheerful face.”
– Proverbs 15:13
We
made it to the church on time without going over the speed limit, breaking any
traffic rules and giving the traffic aide any reason to harass us for his snack
money. We were even early enough to get the best parking space – right beside
the entrance to Paco Park.
We
couldn’t be late for this wedding. Papa had an important role to play. My newly
widowed cousin, the mother of the groom, wanted Papa to walk with her down the
aisle.
It
was a close shave because my morning was hectic with errands to run. I barely
had time to have my nails done so I had to settle for this horribly expensive
parlor in the mall.
To
save more time, I finished dressing-up in the car: applied eyeliner and
lipstick when the light turned red; changed from slippers to shoes (good thing
I grabbed the right box); stuffed essentials into my tiny evening bag.
Midway
to the church, I began to relax. We were good. We were on time. Or so we
thought.
My
cousin, George, who drove for us decided to check out the church first to make
sure we were in the right place. Was it Paco Church or Paco Park? He came back
with the news that there was no wedding scheduled for the day.
I
called my cousin’s mobile number, but it was out of coverage area. I had her
home phone number, but I said, “Who will answer that when everybody’s at the
wedding?”
The
phone rang. My cousin answered. What was she doing at home an hour before the
wedding? Feeling something was totally off, I passed my phone to Papa.
We
found out we were 3 days late for the wedding. The couple was already on their
honeymoon when we got to the church.
They
weren’t able to send the invitation, so the details were given over the phone. Papa
jotted down Dec. 4 on his planner which I thought was an odd day for a wedding
as it was a Tuesday. I kept asking him about it, but he said that’s the date my
cousin gave. (Later we found out she did give that date then corrected it.)
Papa
began to feel bad about it. He couldn’t imagine how he made that mistake. He
also started to blame me – why I didn’t make sure about the date. That didn’t
stick though since I never talked to my cousin.
I
WAS IMAGING WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IF THIS HAD HAPPENED TO SOME OF MY MARRIED
FRIENDS. It would probably be the declaration of World War 3. The wasted trip,
the wasted effort of dressing up and the blame game would have triggered a big
fight. (Rejoice all you solo parents out there! This is our one big advantage.)
But
by God’s grace we were given joyful hearts and some blessings.
We
began to find the mix-up funny and laughed about it.
We
decided not to waste the trip and go somewhere to eat. I wanted to eat in
Pancake House and thought there was one along Macapagal Ave. But George saw their
branch on Harbour Square. As we enjoyed our pancakes and tacos, we were treated
to a spectacular view of Manila Bay behind the Yacht Club.
What
do you do when you’re dressed to the nines, all dolled up and you have no
wedding to go to? Take pictures of course. I got some fabulous shots with my
phone camera.
Instead
of the blame game, we played the gratitude game:
- It’s a good thing I only had time
for a pedicure. I was saved from a pricey manicure.
- Papa decided not to buy a new
suit and just had his old one dry-cleaned. He was happier missing the
wedding in his old suit.
- Since we had no wedding to go to,
we had the time to get the car back-up sensor fixed.
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