“A Lasting Legacy”

“All of us are memorial stones for the next generation”.

(Tan-Chi, 2023)

Last December of 2022, my wife suggested that we (pertaining to our B-Town or Baguio family) should have a photoshoot to cap off the treacherous journey of inexistent Christmas gatherings since 2020. COVID had massively impacted our usual December trips back to the Philippines and had inevitably caused us to either celebrate Christmas online or partially on-site because of the imposed quarantine procedures. Little did we know, this recent Christmas would be the best celebration we’ve had by far!

• Sweater weather with glimmers of B-town sunlight while sipping coffee in Camp John Hay…
• Reconnecting with my sister and brother-in-law…as well as enjoying the time I’ve spent with my niece and nephew!
• Sisig luncheons (for all ya’ll who don’t know, you gotta try this Filipino dish!)
• Being a special guest in “The Jersey Shorts” podcast with mah homies Miguel and Niko (shout-out to these two for an amazing job analyzing the basketball world in today’s era!)
• D-Group Christmas shenanigans…
• Fun Fambam Christmas Eve with my wife’s homecooked cookies and other Filipino meals we don’t get to see in Indonesia as well as family games with bragging rights!
• A beach trip to Luna – La Union, the hometown of my uncle, which includes touring sights such as Bato De Luna (a rocky beach with stone art everywhere), Baluarte Watch Tower, and Immuki Island (not to mention swimming in a lagoon – definitively a first for me!)
• Reuniting with my D-group men in the legendary CJH Volante restaurant (still looking forward to our overseas trip together someday!)
• New Year’s Eve celebration with the fam while playing the Whisper challenge and reminiscing old songs over the bonfire…
• and lastly….having every family member in one place…a photoshoot in (once again) Camp John Hay – the first and indubitably not the last!

All of these collectively reveal the beautiful Christmas memoir we’ve all experienced as a family and displays the autentically deep relationships that we have built together.

However, it’s paramount to know that we (me and my family) weren’t always like this. The joy that we have now has gone a long way from how it used to be.

More than a decade ago, Jesus saved me in 2010 as I became the first born-again Christian in the family. Transgressing through the years, me and my family have gone through turmoil – ranging from minor disagreements to full-blown fights about this newfound faith. No, this doesn’t make me faultless too in any circumstance. Within this decade, I’ve fallen short in countless times in reaching out to my family in a more loving way. Fast-tracking to today, my sister has encountered Jesus somewhere along the line and we both became testimonies to our family. Thus, by the grace of GOD, my family is now worshiping Jesus alongside me, my sister, and my wife! True joy in the family undoubtedly can only be provided from an eternal source! From seeking this joy painstakingly from surfaced Christmas celebrations in the past to genuinely seeking Jesus as the real Reason for the Season, me and my family began to cherish our time together more.

I am #blessed to witness how GOD has worked through the lives of each one in my family (and extended family of my sister’s). Moreover, I’m excited to whatever GOD has in store for them this 2023.

As a resolution to the journey we’re currently trodding as a family, may the lyrics of Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, and Stuart Townend in their song “By Faith” speak to you as it has spoken to us:

“We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul’s reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.”

What legacy do you wanna leave for your family?

Sunergos,

Joseph L.