belated congrats to Ganda!

I’ll never get tired of saying this, but as soon as you become a mom or dad, your life is no longer just about you (or at least, you alone).  Your dreams, energies and aspirations are focused on your family, specifically on the little bundle of joy you’ve brought into this world. This is why I was beside myself when after three schools, two countries and countless dreams, daughter Ganda picked herself by the bootstraps (does anyone still use that idiom?) picked up lessons from textbooks, her colleagues and the streets and alleys of the world, and along the way picked up and earned herself a double Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management last December from the Victoria University of Wellington. All guardians and elders but particularly parents can relate to this:  an education is by far the best gift one can ever impart to the next generation.  It’s a gift that keeps giving, and a legacy that pays itself forward far beyond the immediate lives and generations concerned. *****          *****          ***** And as parents, grandparents and guardians, we can choose whether or not to do so, but every little (hopefully) positive thing our children, grandchildren or wards do, we can claim as a reflection of ourselves.  It may or may not be fair to everyone  concerned, but that’s just the way it is.  The apple never falls far from the tree.  Kung anong tinanim, sya ring aanihin.   On balance, Ganda has been more a source of pride than anything else for me.  Her double degree, graduation and entrance into the work force is just a culmination of all the happiness she has brought me. I don’t know what else to say here, but Ganda, your life is just beginning.  You can do anything you want, and your potential is limitless.  Your graduation is just a consequence, and not a cause, of your winning attitude.  I love you always, and mabuhay ka!  Congrats again!