THE following Cebuano songs, I learned from my mom:
“Si Filemon, si Filemon namasol sa kadagatan. Nakakuha, nakakuha og isdang tambasakan. Gibaligya, gibaligya sa merkadong guba—ang halin pulos kura, ang halin pulos kura, igo lang ipanuba.”
“Sakayan de rapido, bantog matulin. Manoy padaplin, contra kita sa hangin.”
I’m sure people my age have heard these cheerful songs, too. Actually, I sometimes sing these playful songs with my grandchildren. These songs have rhythm and rhyme. They serve their purpose of bringing joy.
The nuggets of wisdom that remain with me are really memories of statements dropped by well-caring parents. It was during mealtimes when not only our bodies were fed. Allow me to share a few.
1. Pray before eating. The food on our table comes from God.
2. Do not waste food. There are many who are hungry.
3. Do not speak with your mouth full. You will not be understood. Do one thing at a time.
4. Fetch your glass of water yourself. One day you will not be able to do so.
Of course, these wise advices were not dropped to us all at one time.
An incident which occurred in my youth has really stuck in my mind. Dad was so angry because of a vulgar word uttered by one of us at the table during dinner. “Stand up this second,” he said. “Wash your mouth with soap and water. Come back only when you are clean. You owe decency to all of us.”
(For a short duration of time all of us were silent. A cold and stern patriarch looked at us. None of us made as much as a peep.)
We really learned to be children of refinement.
One-liners often serve their purpose. Even small reminders like “Do your homework carefully. They are not meant for the teacher. They are supposed to help you.” Or, “let your quarrel end before night time. You may not see each other tomorrow.”
These words of wisdom were handed down to us without our parents moralizing. Let us greet each other with cheer and joy today. That did not take a minute. Happy Sunday!
