Celebration of Life

Day 16 of 26I had a whole post for this day, but it somehow disappeared.Yesterday felt like a week. When we arrived to Manila, we went straight to the funeral home, suitcases and everything. Mom and I got there around 1:30 or probably closer to 2 AM.Funerals and viewings are a lot different in the Philippines. Instead of mourning, the life of the deceased is celebrated. We did the same thing when Papa Rudy died. The viewing usually lasts for about a week and every night a family member or a friend stays with the beloved. It might seem wierd and scary, but it's actually comforting in a wierd way. BJ, Dad, Manong Mike and I stayed with Lola over night along with Lola's neighbors. We all fell asleep on the job, lol.In the morning, we picked up our other cousin and people just slowly started showing up at the funeral home. We met so many relatives and friends, a lot I didn't even know existed. They all stayed, prayed, laughed, ate and told stories about Lola and the past memories from growing up. It was really cool to see so many people happily being in each other's company.My Dad never left Lola's side until they had to take her that evening. They had to get her ready for the trip to Cagwait. It was a somber moment.The next adventure starts with a flight at 4 in the morning.