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I would remember that summer, when I asked my grandpa about Uncle George. I could see his face blushed and his voice roared, telling me “Forgets your Uncle, to me he is dead!” I was terrified to hear what he had said to me! It had confused me about his attitude. He’s a religious man, who always loved and used to preach people the words of God but he had never loved his son!
Nobody could oppose God conviction, what He had said was final. When He created man, it had been for His love to nourish man’s heart. He had created him according to His will and had taught him to appreciate the beauty to all His creations. Is it fair to see men controlling everything?
Somewhere in 1971, in my home province Samar, Philippines, I would always remember the place where my grandpa and I got used to live in a small village. It was approximately nine to 10 km away from the proper town of Guiuan. To get there, you had to have motors cycles. It would take you 45 minutes to one hour or by a long walk, which was a good exercise.
The folks were friendly and would welcome you with their sweet smiles. Around the village, you could see mountains with green virgin forest – a jump-off point for treks. The villagers were religious people. They had a primary and elementary school where the kids used to love studying. They had a catholic church where there was mass every Sunday. They had avillage hall for parties. They had a play ground for children. I really missed the village, a congenial place to live in and to enjoy.
To see Grandpa was Exciting and Memorable
It was summer, the classes were closed for the children to enjoy the summer. I turned eleven. During that summer, I had always used to visit grandpa’s place, which was 3 km away from our home. Grandpa was a widower. He had two sons. One was my father. My grandpa was 65 years old. He used to live in a hut, built of nipa woven leaves and scraped bamboo poles. It was surrounded by a bamboo fence. Surrounding his nipa hut was a vegetable plantation. At the back of his nipa hut was a big mango tree where he got used to sit with his old rocking chair that was made from narra tree.
That morning to see grandpa was exciting and memorable. At his age of 65, nobody could tell he was that dirty old man. He was strong and still could lift up a 50kls of rice. He could be strong to rule over the villagers: they called him “captain”. Grandpa was a religious man. He always loved and used to preach the words of God in the village.
Sometimes in that summer, I had mingled with the villagers for my grandpa’s preaching. He had preached that man would always stand in his nature, in his heart and all his control especially in times of troubles. His preaching was well remembered by the villagers. It had taken us couple of hours for meditations and listening to his preaching before we left for home.
Uncle George had Grown Differently
Uncle George was a math’s professor in a private school in Tacloban, a neighboring province of Samar. He was 30 year old at that time, a bachelor and he also had managed a fast food chain business. Uncle George was 5’8” tall, dark skinned and handsome. When you saw him, you could tell he was really a man in nature for a woman to feel, to touch and to enjoy. But he was gay. I was thinking what would be part of the possibility for Uncle George to live according to my grandpa’s preaching. Some feminine feelings and desires drove him.
At fifteen, Uncle George had discovered that he had grown differently. He had thought and believed it was just a part of growing up. The changes that were taking place inside him were strangely confusing and desirable for a while. He had tried to live a normal life but he had fumbled helplessly. The more he tried to change, the more obvious became his femininity. At other times he had challenged the Lord, for creating him that way – a man living the life of a woman! It was maybe the reason why grandpa had abandoned him!
Uncle George is a human. Yeah. He was living differently among others. He would have hearts to love and understanding. Would you ignore this person because of his differences? Would you care for him?
Grandpa Died with Hate in his Heart
My grandpa had died in 1985. He was 79 years old and I had known he was a righteous man especially for the villagers. Yet, he had left me feeling confused about his preaching. He had missed the truth, that God had created man for his love, love that would nourish man’s heart and minds to appreciate all His creations. He had died with hate in his heart. His blessings and forgiveness for Uncle George had been closed and locked. But it had kept me remembering the way he was. I missed my grandpa.
Uncle George already retired. He is still a bachelor. He is happy with his life. He said, “Life is the most precious thing that God bestowed upon us. No matter what you are or who you are you have to appreciate it. Know your limitations and enjoy life as prescribed by heaven – that way you fulfill God’s objective.”
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