Issue of sending money to family in pinas

[Arthur Little]

You are so lucky that you still have granny. My granny died at 84 in 1982. I used to stay beside her and hear her old stories about panahon ng japon, ng kastila at ng amerikano.

I really think this is so important, you never know how long you will have your loved ones. Panahon is "era"/"time" and Kastila is "Spanish" so you're talking about the time of the Japanese occupation, Spanish and American rule. Only yesterday I was watching archive film about World War II and General Douglas MacArthur's return, as he had promised. Then an ambitious young lawyer from Ilocos who used his wartime "adventures" to enter the political arena ...Ferdinand Marcos. But to hear from your own relatives about the past as they remember it should not be missed. What they tell you depends on your love and respect for them.... listen before it's too late!

I know I've a habit of digressing from the main theme ... and I realise that what I'm about to emphasise is, perhaps, slightly ... but, Penny's and Alan's posts both highlight the importance of connecting with earlier generations. I was fortunate in having my maternal grandparents right up until the 1970s [when each of my own two children was already born] and even now, looking back, I am thankful for how much I learnt from them. My *grandpa (as I called him) attained the great age of ninety-seven ... and was able to recall the late Victorian era - before motor vehicles, aeroplanes and radio (let alone television) were ever heard of - yet invariably maintained "the auld [old] days were the best, ye ken [know] Arthur!"

My mother's sister (daughter of the *above) is still surprisingly active at 91 ... and remains very much alert for someone of her advanced years; indeed, her in-depth knowledge of current affairs, frequently puts ME to shame! Sadly, she is the last-surviving member of both sides of my family. So, as Alan implies, LISTEN carefully to the "golden oldies" before it's too late; they have much to teach us!!!