My Forever Friends

At the end of this month I will be heading to North Carolina for a college reunion. It’ll be an epic occasion … something I’ve dreamed of for ages. Allow me to share the people who shaped my young adult life.

My college years formed a friendship bubble filled with young adult adventures in the Washington DC area. It was a time when the Vietnamese refugees from the war started their new life in America. The World Bank and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) were hiring immigrants from all over the world. One of those immigrants was my Tita Dolly who invited me to live with her. I consider her my US mom to whom I will be forever grateful.

It was the bell-bottomed disco era of John Travolta. Home computers were about to explode. Gerald Ford just conceded his throne to Jimmy Carter. International students clumped together with fellow strangers. Affirmative action began to fill the universities with African Americans. I partied with Filipinos, Singaporeans, Vietnamese, Egyptians, Israelites, Iranians, Mexicans, White and Black Americans. Many were children of ambassadors and politicians. Central among the rainbow of ethnicities were my closest friends who formed a troubadour band called Kalesa (which means a Filipino horse and buggy).

My Tita Dolly’s house was ground zero for all our activities. In fact, that was where Kalesa was born. Almost every weekend we’d find an excuse to hold a party at that house in Arlington VA. I had always dreamed that one day I would own that house. My heart was crushed when she sold it recently.

I had just arrived stateside and was terribly homesick and needed friends. My cousins, who also lived with me at that house, invited their friends over so I could meet them.

“You should meet Rodney, he plays the guitar like you. He even composes. And you should meet Bernie. He’s got an amazing voice like David Gates of the Bread. Manny also plays the guitar like Paul Simon.”

Saturday night, people poured in and partied. But in the basement, Rodney, Manny, Bernie and I were jamming with our nylon guitars. Something magical happened. We actually sounded good. The 4 of us would become the magnet of the group and many others latched on for the ride.

Weeks and months went by and we practiced after school and we added more songs to our repertoire. There was no formal plan to turn the group into a band, it just happened. Tito Julio had a birthday party where we had our first formal performance. It was an amazing night of affirmation to know we could really entertain a crowd. Later we sang Christmas carols to raise money for poor Catholic churches. We sang for weddings and birthday parties. We were the main event for a concert fund raiser and even an opening act for a Battle of the Bands at the George Washington University. The band never really made serious money. Money was never the intention. We just enjoyed each other’s company.

We were wholesome kids with devilish testosterones. We talked about girls a lot. I can’t say we were womanizers but we did have some fans. Sure we smoked and drank beer but we never got into drugs. Rodney was studying for law school. Manny was preparing for med school. Bernie, Bob and Santi became engineers. JB became the head of computer technology for the military. I was studying Advertising Art hoping to join an Ad firm on Madison Avenue. My claim to international fame was designing the millennial logo for the GRAMMY awards.

I vividly remember a night at the La Pattiserie (a favorite French restaurant in Georgetown). Half drunk but in serious conversation and conscious of the temporary friendship bubble we were in, we knew that bubble was about to pop because of our different career paths. We were growing up and starting our rainbow of life. Raising our beer cans, we gave a toast to be friends forever. These guys were closer than my blood brothers and I was willing to give up my life to save any of them.

Through the happy and sad pages of the calendar and despite separation by states and by countries, we remained in touch. To the credit of our spouses, they understood our golden bond and have always been supportive of our rare and brief reunions.

Today, standing at the end of that rainbow I remember Rodney, Bob, Annie and Loree who have gone ahead of us. What’s left of Kalesa will be camped at Dr. Manny’s North Carolina mansion this October. We plan to record some songs. Why? Does it matter why? We just know we need to do it while we still can.

I’m sure you have your own eternal friends. What a blessing, huh? I’m sure your stories are even more interesting than mine. I’d love to hear them. When our earthly adventures are over, I truly believe we will have eternity to exchange our experiences. How cool is that? Heaven isn’t a silly place where we flutter our wings and strum our harps. It’s so much more and wonderful beyond imagination. When you get there, be sure to look me up. We’ll have so much fun.

I praise God who has been especially kind to me to provide my eternal friends. Let me end with Rodney’s composition about friendship which he sang when he first met me:

I’M LIKE YOU
Have you ever felt like telling stories
Someone told before?
Have you ever built sandcastles
That washed out on the shore?
Have you ever felt like singing songs
People sing no more?
I’m like you. I’m like you.

Have you ever felt like trying
Someone told you not to try?
Have you ever felt like cussing
But could only blow a sigh?
Have you ever felt the answer
Was too high in the sky?
I’m like you. I’m like you.

CHORUS
I need a place to plant my feet,
A place to stand, a place to be!
I have to go, to see, to know!
I have to be set free!

Have you ever seen the mountain
And wished that you were there?
Have you ever tried to reach someone
Who simply wasn’t there?
Have you ever feared
That if you loved,
The one you loved won’t care?
I’m like you. I’m like you.

Have you ever felt that sorrow
Was a way to make you strong
To come back here tomorrow
Just to sing a sadder song?
Have you ever felt you were all alone?
Well, now you know you’re wrong,
For I’m like you. I’m like you.

TGIF people!

“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” — Kahil Gibran

“There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.” — William Butler Yeats

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” — Hebrews 10: 24-25

“Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” — 1 Samuel 20:42

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Ed of Studio City, CA

Parting Shots

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Berong of Mandaluyong, Philippines

Thanks to Brian of Philadelphia

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Drew of Anaheim, CA

Thanks to Benny of Detroit

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with this.

SUBSCRIBE

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Turn It On!

[This article is a little religious so skip to the jokes if it makes you nervous please.]

Some look at the world today and it can be really doom and gloom. It’s COVID, it’s politics, it’s the environment. I was just on a zoom session with some friends in the Philippines where COVID is still spreading unabated. However, instead of sadness, they were laughing and joking around and sharing experiences from their corner of Manila.

“How can you be so happy?” I asked.

They looked at each other and then one of them said, “what else can we do?”

It’s the old wisdom from the pub: “In heaven there is no beer, that’s why we drink it here,” right? Indeed, what else can they do? I love their positive attitude and I’d probably do the same thing if I were there: Do what you can and just wait. But if you had the power to correct the troubles of this dark dark world, where would you start?

According to the action-packed book of Mark, Jesus waited to start His mission when he was already a grown man and one of Jesus’ first call to order was removing a demon from a man inside the synagogue. Why? I imagine Jesus looking at a scene from a horror movie. The world from His spiritual glasses was dark, misty, gloomy, and sickeningly polluted. He needed to start cleaning up the mess and he started where the pollution was oozing out. Ironically, it was coming from the synagogue, the Jewish house of worship. Instead of a factory of beautiful angels, it was churning evil. It was so bad that a demon had no qualms about being in there. It’s possible he was the priest in charge. In fact, the demon-possessed man said: “Hey, I know you! You’re Jesus, the son of God! What brings you to my place of business? Wanna buy a watch, Joe?”

“Whatever!” — Zap!! And the demon screams out of the man.

The zombie onlookers go: “What’s the buzz man? Is this a new teaching? Was that in the program?”

The cleanup campaign had begun. And it was one synagogue after another. The city was lighting up. Crowds followed Jesus with curiosity and left with new hope. How cool was that? And this all happened in Chapter 1 of the gospel of Mark.

Two words caught my attention — “demon-possessed.” How do you tell if someone is demon-possessed? I’m thinking of some politicians and tycoons who seem to fit the description. I did a little research and Jeremy Myers (I don’t know who is) made a lot of sense in his article: What are the signs of Demonic Possession?

“There is no sure and certain list by which to determine if someone is possessed by a demon, nor is there a step-by-step guide to follow if we think someone is possessed … instead of worrying about a demon behind every corner … we should be filling our minds on Christ … look for signs of God at work in the lives of others.” And he ends with this: “Look for glimpses of glory shining through. Look for evidence of grace, mercy, and hope. Look for healing, redemption, and forgiveness. As we look for these signs in the lives of others, we will inspire them to live in these ways, and in so doing, expand the rule and reign of God on earth.”

Sure, it’s a broken world we live in but living in fear and desperation is exactly what the devil wants. Let there be joy. Let there be hope … a real hope founded in the light of the Gospel.

Let’s get out our cell phones and turn on that light. All together now! “This little light of mine … I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Oh, (praise God!) let it shine.”

Of course, this is just me … hope you agree.

TGIF people!

Raoul

Joke of the Week

Remember my college buddy Rodney from Alexandria, VA? I mentioned him last week. Here’s one of the jokes we always laughed at.

Delightful Video of the Week

Thanks to Naomi of North Hollywood. This may be the solution to all our problems.

Parting Shots 

Thanks to Debbie of Moreno Valley, CA

Thanks to Mel of Washington, DC

Thanks to Jeff of Pasadena, CA.

Thanks to Peter Paul of South Pasadena, CA

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