THE MESSAGE . BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA www . kalatas . com . au | Volume 7 Number 6 | MARCH 2017

We were innocents with no thought about the future ; just kids seated together in the same classroom who would run around the campus during breaks . They were the wonder years . We were so pure .

There were some who joined the class after grade school , others in high school and college . We had fun times . We enjoyed and suffered through the same teachers . We grew up and matured somewhat under the school ’ s guidance and moral teachings .

And here we are , some 60 years later , still sharing our old stories and jokes , camaraderie and friendship when we meet . We even have a Viber group where classmates who live abroad can join us in discussions and share a joke or two .

More than ever , I am in contact with my schoolmates from the Ateneo de Manila . It is so much fun when we ’ re together . Each one of us , it seems , has made a life for himself with families , careers , personal trials and proud moments to share . Some have established themselves in a big way . Some have been widowed and remarried . Most of us are grandfathers now . But whatever our status in life , it seems to matter little when we are together . We still call each other by the nicknames we had when we were in school . We ’ re still bound by the same memories of our teachers , jokes and various incidents when we were young that shaped us into who we are today .

A long time ago , I wrote a song for my class called Saan na nga Bang Barkada , which has become a kind of anthem for many graduating classes when they get together in

reunions . In that song , I was not idealizing when I wrote , Napakahirap malimutan Ang saya ng aming samahan Kahit lumipas na ang iilang taon , Makabarkada pa rin ngayon . Magkaibigan magkaibigan Magkabarkada pa rin ngayon . How can one forget the

happiest moments of one ’ s youth and childhood ?

Dr . Tony Dans , an Atenean and a distinguished heart doctor , was right when he said , during a commencement speech at the ADMU , that your high school classmates are people you will be with for the rest of your life . You will stay in their homes when you travel . You will go to them when you need doctors , lawyers , priests , brokers , accountants , etc . You will spend a lot of time with them playing sports , going on retreats , vacations , and a host of other things . In a way ,

one might say , classmates are forever .

My brother Jesse , who is turning 80 in September , recounts that a waiter in Club Filipino approached him and asked why he and his classmates had stopped going to the club for meetings . My brother said that they still get together often except that the venue has changed . When the waiter asked where they now meet , my brother , who never stops joking , answered , “ We often get together in funeral parlors .” As morbidly funny as it sounds , he was actually serious .

As we get older , we tend to revisit chunks of our lives and re-live them in order to get our personal lives more integrated . We weave happy and sad memories into some mental and emotional tapestry to understand what our lives mean .

Some classmates , even if some 60 years have passed , I still remember as children . I never got to know them as adults since they passed on

Life is short and fleeting . As children , we never thought about getting old . Aging happened pe to our parents , but it was not going to happen to us , or so we thought t . But here we are ! Sixty-fivers . Thank God , we are still very much alive ! early . I can only imagine what they would have been like if they had lived longer .

People come and go in our lives . We stand by others as witnesses to their lives when they die . We bid them

farewell . We reminisce and remember them forever with a fondness for the short but happy times shared . I guess , in some way , we want to spend time with those who we have shared the same timeline , those who will remember us when we go .

Aside from family , friends and lovers , there are our classmates . There is little time left and we want to savor it with people who will be our witnesses as we pass into the next life .

Life is short and fleeting . As children , we never thought about getting old . Aging happened to our parents , but it was not going to happen to us , or so we thought . But here we are ! Sixty-fivers . Thank God , we are still very much alive !

Looking forward to the next get-together with you guys .

We do not have to spend our last years just reminiscing . The past is only a place to visit . Let us enjoy each day as a blessing to welcome the new things that still show up in our lives .

It ’ s great to be alive and sharing ever-new moments with old classmates .

JIM PAREDES is a multifaceted creative . He sings , composes , writes articles and books , teaches at the Ateneo De Manila University , designs and facilitates workshops . He is a writer of books , a widely read columnist for the Sunday Life section of Philippine Star , and a well-known photographer .