For Janette Belda, OTRP:

After awhile you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn that love doesn't mean possession
and company doesn't mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up
and your eyes ahead with the grace of an adult not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build your roads today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have ways of falling down in mid-flight.
After awhile you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much
so you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
that you really are strong
and you really do have worth
and you learn and you learn...with every goodbye you learn.
--- Virginia Shopstall

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I always think of this paperclip I had lost as a kid. I loved this yellow paperclip for some strange reason. Maybe it was the shape I loved or the color. One day, I lost it. I remember clearly understanding for the first time loss, that it could happen easily, no matter how vigilant one was; no matter how much one loved something, or someone.

A few days later, I found it among my clothes. Such joy at the revelation that it was only lost, to me. Things are never lost completely. They are put away. They are misplaced. Someone else takes them. Sometimes, they are transformed into something else. But nothing ever disintegrates or disappears. That precious paperclip lies somewhere in this world. It must have a new shape, or a new color, or even a new form. Just like the love you have for someone who has gone. That love does not disintegrate either. One day when you least expect it, you will find that things are less. . .achy. You will be amazed at how much the heart can bear. And yes, you and I will be grateful for all that weve lost and all that weve found, in time.

- Taken with permission from a friend, Rica Bolipata-Santos. You can reach her at Rica.Santos@gmail.com.

tagay na! =)