She’s a regular reader of Sassy Lawyer and Pinoy Cook. Probably because she often had helpful tips on the technical side of blogging, when she finally had her own blog, I just presumed that “About My Recovery” referred to recovering lost files on the web. Or, perhaps, it was also partly because I am still smarting from the loss of four months’ worth of blog entries when my database went crazy last December. Whichever it was, I never related Noemi’s domain name to the pain of a mother who lost a child.
When I finally visited her blog last night, I was in tears as I read her About Me page. I have read a lot of About Me pages in the last three years and I have read some that are so forceful that they have left a lasting impression on me. But never–never–in the past three years have I been moved so deeply. I can’t even start to imagine the grief over losing a young child. But what really struck me was Noemi’s strength and resolve not to forget her beloved son and, at the same time, move on. Although it took her years, she managed. The grief that put her marriage in peril was the very same grief that brought her and her husband closer.
Today, they use their grief to connect with people who have similarly suffered. It was through Noemi’s initiative that the Philippine chapter of The Compassionate Friends was founded, a “grief support group that caters to the special needs of bereaved family members following the death of a son or daughter, brother or sister.” The group’s message? We need not walk alone.
What a woman! My hat off to you, Noemi.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
noemi 03.25.06 at 1:47 pm
Haha funny naman about recovering lost files. Yes, whenever I read about lost databases, I imagine what that might be like and sympathize greatly. I tend to be redundant in data storage.
oy, I didn’t mean to make my readers cry. I re-read my “about me” and I didn’t think it was too sappy or sentimental. Maybe the story in itself can evoke emotions. I appreciate that you expressed your feelings to me. Others I’ve met in the past would not know how to react to someone who lost a child. Not that they didn’t care, it’s just so horrible to imagine.
Toe 03.25.06 at 3:32 pm
What you said is exactly how I feel when I read her About Me. You have to admire Noemi. She’s very strong. And her work with other grieving families makes a lot of difference.
Sassy Lawyer 03.26.06 at 1:51 am
noemi, i think your “about me” page is very honest. so very honest. honesty is a rare commodity these days. the more i admire you for.
yes, toe, i agree. it’s one thing to recover. it’s another thing to turn the process of recovery to something productive, helpful and relevant. bilib ako talaga.