VICTORIA, Australia — Another family friend passed away over three weeks ago and my friends and I gathered for prayers for the nth time since July. Four members of our Filipino-Australian community have passed on in the last three months alone and many families I know are mourning the loss of loved ones.
After the seventh day of novena prayers the soul of the peaceful repose of our friend, two of our fellow attendees shared that there's a lovely garden with spring blooms less than half an hour away from our city. I intentionally found time before the eighth day of novena prayers to venture out to the much-talked-about gardens for some tranquil time amongst blooms.
It was an absolutely lovely sight to behold! Snow white cherry blossoms, regal tulips, vibrant colored posies, beautifully maintained hedges and bursts of bright colored blooms among lush greens.
There's nothing quite like the awesome beauty of nature to soothe the ache of grieving hearts and spirits. I fondly recall the yvisits to farms and sunflower and celosia gardens my family and I would go on whenever lockdown and travel restrictions would ease in 2020 and 2021.
Those trips to nature most definitely helped us get through the longest stretches of stay-at-home public health mandates by our local government. Then there were the many dates with glorious and serene sunsets I made sure to witness in the weeks and months following that heartbreaking sunset in April 2021 when my father was laid to rest. I have found reassuring comfort in nature's inspiring and calming beauty.
It's an exhilarating feeling that we're slowly but surely getting out and about and that borders, whether domestic or international, have either opened up or are set to open more fully this October. I've been extra busy at work the past few months and look forward to the joyous celebrations that unfold come the December holidays.
I was looking at the Philippine Airlines website and am pleased to note their update on "PAL flights for October and beyond." Not that I have plans on visiting all these places in the coming months but it's great to know that those who are longing to reunite with their favorite people at Christmas time, will finally get a chance to do so.
There's "a time to weep and a time to laugh". Hopefully the last few months of 2022 bring us more of the latter. I pray so.
