MEMORIES OF FOREVER
“Sadness…
Joy…
Anticipation…
… All these mixed feelings I’m
having while writing this piece; they’re all imponderable.”
I firmly believe that death is
not the opposite of life but a part of it.
It has been a year since Sir
Joel, or Boss Owe, became one of God’s angels. I’m sure that he is guiding us
from above and continually making sure that his presence is always felt by us.
The first time I saw Boss Owe, I
felt this sudden rush of fear through my veins. I was so scared because he looked
so strict. When he was in the office, I could not even type a word. (I could be
exaggerating; but that’s what I really felt back then.) But after witnessing
Boss Owe’s great kindness towards other people and his employees, everything
changed. He suddenly became my idol. He was very kind-hearted and was always
concerned of his employees’ welfare. Even though the time I spent with Boss Owe
was short, I’m certain that his beliefs and principles are already written in
the deepest parts of my heart. He is one of those few people I really adore
because of his accomplishments as a successful businessman and his personal
mark as a survivor of life’s greatest challenges.
Please bear with me as I recount
two different events which occurred on September 16, 2015. First, LGO employees
went that day to the Divine Mercy
Memorial Park to give something special for Boss Owe. Second, Ma’am Rose,
her son, Ate Roselle and Ate Charlotte decided to go to the San Marcelino
Hospital to give special gifts to some newborn-babies on behalf of the IROG
Foundation.
Jar of love letters (LGO employees at Divine Mercy)
It was during that morning of
September 16 that each one of us wrote a special love-letter to Boss Owe. The
papers we used were of different colors and we all put them in a "jar of
love-letters". What we had was such a colorful jar which made us really
proud and happy.
We left the office around 1:30 P.M.
for the Divine Mercy where Boss Owe had been laid to rest. Everyone did not
mind the scorching heat of the day because our minds were filled with the
thought of visiting Boss Owe once again. Also, we were so eager to give Boss
Owe our special gifts.
Once we got there, most of us
hesitated from reading our letters in front of Boss Owe (we believed he was
there with us) and everyone else. But after a while, Kuya Ryan started to give
his heartfelt message to Boss Owe and we felt a rush of sadness in every word
he said. And before he became too emotional, he ended his message with a smile
and told a simple joke to lighten up the mood. After Kuya Ryan, it was Ms.
Faye, Mayeth, and Kuya Dong who read their own heartfelt special messages for
Boss Owe.
Then, after filling our "jar
of love letters", we sang Superman by
Five for Fighting for Boss Owe (I'd heard from my office-mates that it was a
very special song, being one of Boss Owe's favorite songs). We didn’t have any
musical instruments with us but simply hoped that our "golden" voices
will make our "special number" worth doing. Haha! And again, all of
us felt hesitant to start our presentation. I don't remember how many "Okay guys, this is it; be ready in 3, 2,
1...*awkward silence*...." moments we went through. After each
awkward-silence moment, we would all burst into laughter! I could imagine Boss
Owe laughing at us and doing a face-palm, because we have always been that way
during unified singing. But as we stood and sang by Boss Owe's graveside, I
knew that each one of us left a simple promise. A promise that he will never be
forgotten and his beliefs and deeds in life will always be remembered.
Delivering hope to new beginnings
Boss Owe was a person who was
truly devoted to his principles in life. That is why it is not surprising that
we admire his strength of character. I just joined the company last year and I
witnessed how Boss Owe's positive attitude influenced each and every one of us.
Yes, there were challenges that came; but we knew that Boss Owe was always
around to guide us; and if we can hear him now, he might be telling us to never
give up and to ever stay positive.
Boss Owe also greatly valued the
life of every person; that is why on the same day of September 16, Ma'am Rose
(Boss Owe's loving wife), as well as their son, Ate Roselle and Ate Lot, paid a
visit to the San Marcelino Hospital to give newborn-babies some of their basic
needs, such as baby bottles, blankets, diapers, milk and stuffed toys. Almost
20 infants received those special gifts prepared by the IROG Foundation. And
for every bag handed out to the parents of the babies, we got back the refreshing
sense of fulfillment and great satisfaction for all the efforts we put into the
preparations. It felt really good to see
all their smiles and to hear all their "thank you’s". It was truly a
delightful opportunity to be part of the gift-giving.
Seeing those innocent babies gave
me that wonderfully rare feeling, as if those tiny angels were telling me that
life is such a precious gift we must cherish at every moment. Babies are the
cutest creatures on Earth! And just looking at them made us giggle like kids
again.
The day we lost Boss Owe, we felt
our own life had ended, too, because of so much grief. But Boss Owe had taught
us many things, including the lesson that “no matter what life brings you, keep
on moving forward and stay positive”. So now, we face each day with hope and
happy memories to help us on our way. Even though he is no longer here with us,
his influence continues to guide us and his presence remains as real and as
strong as the memories he gave us.
The life of a person might end,
but his memories do not; because when someone you love becomes a memory, that
memory becomes a great treasure you would always want to hold in your heart.
The laughter, the smiles and all the fun we shared with Boss Owe are
incomparable. They are memories of forever.
They will never die because they live within our hearts, bringing strength
and comfort.
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