Atty. Shiela Marie Gatpolintan-Alaan-Ignacio,with husband Jason, and daughters, Quinna Angeli and Camille.
My cousin, Manang Shiela Marie (aka Manang Vic) is the eldest granddaughter of Rosalina and Rosendo Gatpolintan. She is also the eldest daughter of Auntie Rina and Uncle Quintin.
She is the Manang of all Manangs in the family. She is always there for all of us, may it be for fun, for advice, guidance, support or even for "rescue operations." She looks after every cousin's well being, and makes sure that she knows what is going on with each one of us. She knows us really well too. She has figured out every personality in the family, who is the most kuripot or the most generous, the most moody, temperamental, vain, secretive, super sensitive, bratty, the egotistic, etc. She never judges us and she accepts us the way we are. She doesn't always agree with our decisions and choices, but she supports us anyway. She told me once, "Our individual role as cousins is to be there and support each other all the time, no matter what."
She is also the oldies' favorite. I guess because she was their first niece, and also because she has always been sensitive to or discerning of their needs. Bilib sa ija an tanan katiguyangan. My Papa, for example, gets a lot of free legal and nonlegal advice from her. Her opinions are valued.
My cousins and I are blessed to have a Manang Vic in our lives. In her own way she holds the Gats' or Lola Saling's fort and tries to maintain the ties that bind our clan together . And she is succesful, thus far. She is our ultimate Manang. She is never boring, very generous, is always available to listen. She will always be the loving, understanding "maguyang" to us, the cousins and a very valued support system for the oldies.
WE LOVE YOU MANANG VIC. I LOVE YOU GAJUD KARAJAW.
SALAMAT SA TANAN. WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR THE FAMILY.
No comments:
Post a Comment