posted by Nk. at 1:07 PM

fore·clo·sure (fôr-klō'zhər, fōr-)

n.

- The act of foreclosing, especially a legal proceeding by which a mortgage is foreclosed.

- The process of ending a mortgage and taking away the mortgaged property.


how do you deal with the prospect of getting evicted from your own home? my mother sat beside our dining table, staring blankly into space. we have had this problem hovering us for a while now, in between moving on with life, members of the family argue on what solution to take. my mother, now retired from her employment from a government agency, and having spent her retirement benefits on things like new stuff for the house, payment of debts, everything else except the mortgage (which was big, considering how much payments she and my father missed over the years) - has set her eyes on my sister (who works in a government agency, thus the benefits) to have a loan. here's one thing me and my sister agree on, the unfairness of this solution. see why should children suffer for the wrong decisions and wrong moves their parents have made in the past? my sister and i have our lives to lead too, and i am appalled by the thought of paying my parents' debts until i too, retire from work. it is unfair, and is not right.

i'm all for children helping their parents, taking care of them, giving back the love and the sacrifice as much as they can. but i was never a believer of the predominantly Filipino way of thinking that kids were born on this planet to serve their parents. before i am a daughter, i am a human being - with my own dreams, mistakes to make, heartaches to suffer, triumphs to celebrate - my own life to live. if my sister and i were to carry our parents' burdens, where does that leave our own plans for our lives?

so my parents are now off to the lending agency, to talk this out.

whatever comes out of it, we just have to deal with it. i prefer to see this with an open mind, rather than sulk in a corner and think of how painful it would be to leave a place filled with so much memories. "namamatay naman ang tao ng maayos na umuupa ng bahay," my dad said before he and my mother left. i guess old age gives you that kind of resignation.

i much rather prefer to train my eyes on the future - which may or may not exist, rather than on the past - which, no matter how many times you span the church floor on your knees - will never be changed.