Thursday, December 08, 2011

My Parent's Visit

Looking back how young and vigorous they were before,and seeing them now, with wrinkles on their faces, the back pains and even having arthritis, gave you the strong desire to do something that would paint a smile on their faces. Being together, and sharing memories together are the priceless gifts one can give to their love ones. It is of course, with God's providence and grace that my parent's visit made possible.And the combination of efforts from all of us. All the siblings did the share to process everything until it became a reality. Filipino citizens are required a visa to enter Germany and The Republic of Ireland, so their efforts started of course from applying visa to the embassies of the countries mentioned above. Germany-- so they can visit me and my family and Ireland-- to visit my sister and her family.

It was a fulfilling and reflective moments for me, for I was given the chance to take care of them, do some cooking, cleaning, and some other mundane stuffs that one could have done, if you live in the same place. One instance was I was able to color mama's hair, had their nails trimmed, and prepared a nice warm bath for them to enjoy. It was indeed a lovely time together. To be away from your home is both a challenge and opportunity. There are always trade off for the choices we made. And a visit like this was definitely rewarding.

Here are some photos we had:

this was taken at Nymphenburg Castle in Munich
at the BMW Museum
Allianz Arena
Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
Munich Center
Freising

These are significant events in our lives, and I think every minute spent with someone we deeply care are always moments to remember. It reminds me of the saying that "It's not the sugar that makes the coffee/tea sweet, it's the STIRRING". We may all have what we need to be sweet and happy, yet if we forget to stir it, then it will be nothing.

10 comments:

eastcoastlife said...

How long did your parents stay with you? Every one of you have beautiful memories of this visit to last for years and years. :)

jannett said...

indeed....we need to cherished every moment together.the life is a gift from God so we make the most of it like sharing the love for one another

CORA DUKE'S SNAPSHOT'S said...

well done said :-) nice blog.. keep it up!

daisy said...

they visited you just recently? i'm sure they will also cherish those times forever.

my parents were able to visit us in Europe too about 3 years ago (my dad was 72 y/o then! weeee) and it was a memorable time for everyone. may picture din sila/kami sa Brandenburger!

Joe-ann said...

@ECL, they're staying just for a month.

@cora dukes, thanks.

@daisy, yeah,just this july. Branderburger is a place for tourist talaga. A sight of it means...Berlin.hehehe.

Sandy said...

I'm so glad you got to share meaningful time together. I agree with you completely, sharing time with loved ones is important and can't be replaced with anything else. Thank you for your visit, and your comforting words. I truly appreciate both. Hope to see you again, I love visiting and meeting new blog mates.

May said...

Hi Joe-Ann!

I found your blog through Daisy. It's great! I love reading about the Filipino life outside the country. Hope to get to know you better.

I love how crisp your photos are, everything is so colorful. And your posts so meaningful. May I invite you to a virtual party? I host the Colorful Weekend link party every week{end} over at my blog. It's a meme that celebrates the colors that we rock. You can share old or new posts, recipes, your kids, the landscape, even a video, anything with color! It's a great way to meet new friends. :) Hope to see you there sometime!

Dhemz said...

wow! how cool...am sure they had a blast...:) love all the photos sis...:)

genny said...

lovely visit in a wonderful place.....was here visiting you back..

daisy said...

happy new year! musta na?