Remembering Our Veterans

This post has been  sitting in my draft folder  since August but I did not have the courage to post  it but since  Veteran's day is coming up, I am now publishing it.  After  my father-in-law died  in March,  we lost another  beloved veteran in our family.

We might not  be related by blood but he certainly was a huge part of my little family.  Don and his wife Ruth were there  for us especially my kids  ever since we bought our first home in Park Avenue.  Don died  of  brain cancer.  He was diagnosed earlier this year and passed away in August.  He was a great man, he was like a true  grandpa to my kids and a father to me.  We loved him dearly.  He was a Vietnam veteran

The Fancher's have always been there  celebrating especial events and milestones of our kids.  Halloween, Christmas, Birthdays, and  even on ordinary days, they were always around.  He was our  constant companion in our regular walks during the summer.  It was a  huge shocked to us because he  was the most active guy we knew around the neighborhood.  A very social man who was a friend to everybody.

We had so many great memories with him and his wife.  There are two families that we are so close with when we still live in Park Avenue, we were always  together every time, my kids have events or special occasion.  He taught my kids so many things like  doing handstand, climbing up on their  shed roof, eating edible  grass, biking, and  so on and so forth.  I can  write a book if I list everything but yes, he will be surely missed. 

This was the last time we all got together. These were taken in January of this year. We hosted a little birthday celebration for our son at our new home.


 The song below  is dedicated to all the men and women in uniform who are currently serving and for all of those who sacrificed a lot to serve our country. 

It's heartbreaking that one of the best people that touched our lives has departed on this earth. Don was like a father to me and a great Lolo to my children. Him and Ruth are always there for us. They attended all of our children's events and functions. It's hard to wrap around the truth in my head that he is gone. you will be truly missed Don, May you rest in peace with God! #death #cancerSucks #family #friends

A post shared by Chubskulit Rose (@chubskulitrose) on Aug 27, 2017 at 9:56am PDT

This post is  dedicated to all  the veterans, my husband included, his late  Dad and Uncle (WW2 veterans), our late neighbor Don,  and to all who served.  Thank you for your services and your sacrifices. 

Memorial Celebration Visit to my FIL

My FIL was laid to rest  at Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery last March 18th.  This was the first Memorial day celebration that he wasn't around anymore so we  took the kids to visit him and other loved ones.  

We  put a small flag  for him but forgot to bring the flowers  to replace  the old one.  We will bring it to him  this Father's Day.  Losing  my FIL was abig loss for the family because he was a big part of us especially for my kids.  He was the only grandparent  by blood that they know here so it was a blessing that he was  involved  with them growing up.  They have great memories with their Pap.

Our son  even   did his  dance move so his Pap can see it.  I bet my FIL was smiling.  My FIL  used to always  laugh when watcvhing EJ, he thought that EJ is definitely a wild character lol.

I am glad that my kids  have gotten to t know their grandpa before he died.  He was a big part of their lives since they were born.  My Mom is on the other part of the world so  the only time they would see or hear her is when I talk to her or  video chat with her which is very seldom as the place where she lives have a very weak cellphone reception.  Even when I talk to my Mom, they can't talk to her because she doesn't speak English.  Sometimes they would tell her things and I would  interpret it to my Mom in our language..

We still talk about Dad  a lot.  My husband was with me when I was picking a Father's  Day card for him and he  told me that he saw a perfect one to give to his Dad but then realized that he is no longer around.  Slowly, we are trying to deal with the pain of losing him through remembering  the great memories he left upon us.

A Glimpse of my Family Back Home

I am happy that my youngest sister went to Bicol and got to see my Mom. She took a lot of pictures and I was able to see my Mom even just in photos. I was also able to talk to them for over an hour on the phone. I would have loved to video chat with them but the cellphone signal in the hotel where my sister was staying was very poor. They even have to go out the hotel for me to be able to connect with them.  

I am glad that my Mom is getting used to wearing her eyeglasses.  She used to suffer with massive headaches and  she couldn't figure out  what's causing it and finally we told her to go to the eye doctor and it  fixed the issue.  I feel so bad that we didn't   do that early on.  That's what  frustrate me for being so far away, I can't do things to help my  Mom that I would normally do  right away if I am there.  Living here on the other side of the world is tough especially when it comes to my Mom because I know  that she is in her age now where she  needs us.   My youngest sister   works in Manila now so  it's  also  difficult for her to see my Mom often  because of her work. My Mom told me some stuff about my brother that made me  upset.  The way they treat  my Mom is  unacceptable.  She is no slave to anybody so she doesn't have to do anything for them.  If raising them was not enough then what is.   I know that my Mom is a very loving and understanding person but  some of my siblings just  abuse that kindness  and it makes me mad.  She is now 64 years old and should be  enjoying her  age without  having to think of raising another kid but one of my sisters just don't have the capacity to be a responsible parent.   Sometimes, I  questioned her decision to  continuously help my siblings but I guess that is how a mother should be.  She would help her kids no matter the circumstance is.   Anyway, all I can do is to support her, after all she  raised me to be a responsible individual.  I miss and love her very ,much.  I wish she would agree for me to bring her here.
I found this video that made me miss   the place   where I grew up  in the Philippines.  It makes me happy but   feeling homesick.

Visiting Loved Ones at the Cemetery During #MothersDay

After attending mass at the church, we ate    dinner at Theo Yianni's, and then  we  proceeded to  the Chapel Hill Cemetery to visit   loved ones ( my husband's parents and two brothers.)  We usually visit my FIL  on special occasions when he was still around and this was the first time that we celebrated without him so we went to the cemetery to visit them.  

 I had to take my shoes off because it was   slushy and muddy due to the rain from previous days.

 I wish that I could have met my MIL but I wasn't able to come  before she passed.  I did talk to her on the phone when I was still in my country and she seemed really nice.

 It's sad to think that  my FIL won't be around anymore for my children's graduations and other occasion but  I hope that he would be looking down still.

 

I am thankful for the gift of  life, for my children, for my husband and for the good life we live here on earth.  I pray that I would still be around to witness  my  children's  different   stages in life and hope to see grandchildren in the future.  My prayer for Mother's Day is that, may the good Lord   blessed my children good health and may they  grow up to be good people and be successful in life.  

Music Workbooks for Teaching

If you are a professional musician, you probably supplement your income by teaching privately. You could be teaching an instrument, theory, or songwriting. Some people make a very good living doing this. You can too if you become a great teacher that both adults and kids want to learn from. 

Teaching is one of the most important things you can do as a musician. Without the people to help pass on the tradition to the next generation, music wouldn't be what it is today. Behind every great musician is a superb teacher that taught them the ins and outs of what it means to be great and how to always strive for more. Educating others about music can be just as rewarding as performing in many instances. Here are some tips to help you improve as a teacher so you can get the most out of both your students and yourself. 

- Continue to Perform - Many teachers get locked into teaching and ignore their performing career. This is understandable given the kind of living that can be made teaching private lessons, but you should still make every effort you can to play live. This will leave you more inspired to teach others because you are realizing the true joy of performing in public. 

- Personalize Lessons - Each student learns differently. This is as true with music as it is with any other topic. The best private lessons instructors make sure that each lesson is tailor-made to that particular student, making sure that each player gets the most out of each lesson. You want your clients to get their money's worth and this is the best way to do it. 

- Continue Your Own Studies - The best teachers are that way because they are students themselves. By constantly striving to learn and grow, you will remain both inspired and inspiring. Also, if your students see you practicing and trying to get better, they will take you more seriously as a teacher. Music is a lifelong pursuit and should be treated that way. Never take it for granted. There are countless music workbooks for teaching to take advantage of. 

Teaching private lessons shouldn't just be a side job that you use to make money. It should be yet another passion that you have within the discipline. Those that teach are some of the most important individuals in the tradition and are responsible for moving the tradition forward. If you aren't taking it seriously, you are doing a disservice to your students.