Bro. Earl Hart is an American brother who has since retired and has established residence in Spain with his Filipina wife named Estelle. Not a frequent email correspondent, the aging lion’s first impulse was to read his email first upon opening his computer on the wee hours of December 30. the contents of his email is herein copied below verbatim.
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My dear Brother,
It would not be Christmas if I did not take a moment to wish you and your family the very best in the true sense of Christmas, and a prosperous and happy year to come.
All is reasonable well with us, although the high cost-of-living and exchange rate have caused us to modify our life style. My wife did not go to Cebu this year - the cost - but it is still my hope to go there with her some day and to come over and sit in Lodge with you.
Please let us know about your Christmas there. I miss your Christmas narratives, as well as other messages. Take care, Brother.
Earl & Estelle
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And below is the aging cat’s reply.
Hi Bro Earl and Sis Estelle:
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Hello to both of you out there!
I and the lion tamer just arrived from a two-week stay at the metropolis to visit our children and grandchildren. On our way there, we took an exciting plane ride that was spiced by a typhoon that ravaged the Leyte and Samar islands while the plane was on flight, and took the land trip from Manila to our place here in Guindulman that took forty eight hours to finally reach our destination. My behind still aches from the rigors of the trip but the experience was well worth it. I’ll keep you posted through a narrative that I am presently composing to amuse the readers.
The first thing the lion tamer did upon our arrival yesterday afternoon was to call up the parish secretary to arrange for a New Year’s mass at our backyard by the beach to commemorate the advent of the New Year. She was told , however, that rain has not abated since the day we left two weeks ago and so I wonder if a mass can be arranged at this present condition. Even now as I tinker with the computer keys, rain waters are rudely pounding the galvanized roof of our house and is becoming a nuisance to my literary thoughts as I write this mail. I therefore entertain doubts if the planned mass can really be arranged at all during the New Year.
Well!!
Your mail is the first that I opened today upon our arrival and consequently my reply had to be short. More than thirty (mostly Christmas greetings) still await to be read,
Here’s my best wishes to you and Estelle this coming year.
Jun
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And so early in the morning of December 30, the lady with the whip personally went to the parish rectory to arrange for the traditional mass any day it would be feasible. December 31, being a Sunday was, however, ruled out as the priests already have their specific assignments; the next day was also declared by the church as not possible, although the secretariat did not explain why (could it be because January 1 is a pagan festivity?) and so at the suggestion of the pink panther, the date was moved to January 6, supposedly the feast of the Three Kings.
But it turned out the neighbors were lukewarm to the date. Jimbo and Liza had already finalized their plans to have their youngest son baptized on December 31 and the three other neighbors had already contributed their fair share of food on that day and therefore were no longer interested in having another gathering that will somehow add to the expenses. The other neighbors up front were also as disinterested in the planning stage of the mass gathering probably because of any additional cost that it may entail. They of course hinted that they will attend the mass if ever it will be held leaving the burden of planning and execution to the lion tamer which is not what was intended.
Faced with the obvious dilemma, the aging cat stated that under the circumstances, the traditional mass should pass unnoticed; the candies and chocolates worth more than a thousand bucks that should have been tossed on the air after the mass is held either should be given to the kids on selective basis, to her lady friends and to the employees at the Center who are her regular partners that help her in her charitable projects. The other goodies, groceries and bric-a-bracs that she usually gives as Christmas presents will have to be given to whomsoever she may desire on selective basis.
Ruefully also she returned to the parish rectory and had the planned mass on January 6 cancelled. The inclement weather, after all, has not the least abated , word has it that out there in northern Samar, more than 10 persons have died due to flooding and many more were unaccounted for.
But all was not lost. Three days after the cancellation, Gudy and Mike, two elders to the community suggested whether the mass can be reset on February 14 to coincide with Valentine’s Day. Both opined that since the funds for the purpose was not yet spent, then it may be possible to just channel it to another festive date but this time combining a mass with the festival of the hearts! This the lion tamer reported to her pet and from him came his reply that it may be possible the church did not accede to the mass being held on January 1, a Monday, because it is a pagan holiday. Combining a mass in the morning with a merrymaking in the evening celebrating Valentine may meet another stiff opposition from the conservative church although they may not explain the reason. The aging cat therefore , suggested that the better option to pursue would be to celebrate the Festival of the Hearts on February 14 and hold the mass on June 24 to coincide with St. John the Baptist Day and there the planned blessing of the pump boats that have now overwhelmed the beaches may be done with utmost solemnity. What is left of the chocolates, the goodies and the other groceries and also the still unspent fund will be put to good use on Valentine’s Day, definitely a pagan holiday.
Well, all’s well that ends well. The pink panther did not mention that Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of the august Fraternity.
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