ATE ALICE'S EULOGY
By Carolina Lucas
I first met Ate Alice in the Philippines. When she had her vacation in the Philippines, my mom sent something for us. She and my mom had been very close friends. So we came over to her place to pick it up. But she wasn't home. Her sister said that she was attending a wedding at the nearby church. So we went. She recognized us and sat beside us. Then she whispered that the good-looking guy who was videotaping was her spouse-to-be. She asked me what I thought of him. I was just thinking, that was the very first time we met and here she was asking me what I thought of the person who would be her partner in life. But I felt easily at ease with her.
When we came here, I got closer with Connie first, maybe because we were of the same age and we worked together in the same place. I started getting close to Ate Alice when she went to the same parish that we went to. Her children, Neal and Lester attended catechism with my children. Then our phone calls became regular. Never did the week pass without her calling me or me calling her. Sometimes, we would talk for hours on the phone. I would talk with her more often than I would talk with my own sister who lives next door. We would share our most intimate feelings. One thing nice about her was she was a very optimistic person. I would never hear her say anything negative; it was always an encouragement. She's such an open-minded person that she would listen to you. And on some occasions, when she was aware that I was at fault, she would lovingly correct me and would give me an advice to mend my ways.
One of her greatest pleasures in life was when she would make progress in bringing her family to God. I remember when they were just starting their business; she mentioned that it took a lot of courage for her husband to quit his job. And he was under pressure because they had to open the store at a certain date. He mentioned to her that he was praying to God that their business would succeed. Just those words, hearing from her husband's lips that he was praying, caused her so much joy. She said, "Lina, marunong din palang magdasal ang asawa ko." (My husband knows how to call on God.) And I kept on encouraging her to persevere. During the week, she would phone me and it's like she's reporting to me, "oh, last Sunday, we were able to go to church, all the four of us." Then in the past months, she told me that usually on Saturdays, her husband would be the one reminding them that they were supposed to go to church the following day. And it made her so happy. Despite that, she had so many struggles in life, but she had also great faith. Every morning, she always prayed the rosary. She told me that that's what kept her going. If she wasn't able to pray, it seemed her day was incomplete. But if she would, everything during the day went on smoothly. Although the problems came up, it was a lot easier to handle it because as she said, Mama Mary was helping her go through all those trials. And if she had difficulties, she had that faith that it was a blessing to share Our Lord's sufferings.
The first time she knew about her condition, I think we were the first ones she phoned because she was seeking medical advice. My husband is a nurse and she asked for his medical opinion. He said that if she needed the operation, she had to undergo through it. The last few weeks, our communication became very seldom. I was surprised when she e-mailed me for the first time about the UIC website because my husband applied for it. Usually, she would phone me. But I've learned from my mom that since she knew about my husband's heart condition, she was hesitant to call us because she might disturb him from his rest. That's how considerate she was. But she would phone my mom everyday just to ask his condition. We were so caught up by my husband's condition that we overlooked hers. But she was always in our prayers. Three days after her surgery, my husband had his turn for a by-pass operation. Almost 7 hours after the operation, the cardio surgeon told me that everything was fine. I was just thinking it was my chance to stay with Ate Alice because my husband wouldn't be worrying for me. I stayed with her in the SICU until late at night praying for her recovery. I asked God in behalf of her family to grant her full recovery. I told God if it's just her, it's okay, but her family still needs her. But in the end, I just kept on praying, "Lord, Your Holy Will be done. Although her family still needs her, You can fill up that empty spot for her." I know a lot of people fought so hard, fasting and praying for her recovery. Humanly speaking, it's so disappointing. But all is not in vain, Not one single prayer raised to God from a sincere heart is wasted. God has a better plan for her than we do. She is in a better place now. We only hope that whatever she failed to accomplish in life, she would accomplish through death.
So, Ate Alice, wherever you are, we love you. You touched our lives. And rest assured that we will always remember you especially in our prayers. May you soon enjoy the company of God's angels and saints in heaven.
