It was a guerra my mother told us. And the enemies were akin to berdugos she recounted. That was why they had to flee for their lives in many dias of walking. Family heirlooms like libros, diamantes, oros, and myriad valuables were taken with them.
When they were in a temporary shelter at the campo, the men had dug-up bomb shelters and every time the piloto del aeroplano would be in near proximity the sirenas of the campo would be an alarma to the people to ran and hide in the bomb shelters, they did not want to die from the bombas.
Food was hard to get, my mother recalled that her Papa would have a basket-load of dinero de Japon but it could only buy some pieces of pan de sal. Our grandparents planted vegetables to have more food, plants like tomatos, camotes, and other root crops.
My mother was always in a somber and pensive mood whenever she would tell as the cuentos of the guerra. We lost loved ones during that war.
Tanque, canyon, riple, and otras mas palabras del Militar y la guerra peppered her historias. She told us they always prayed the Santo Rosario as a familia. For them y las almas en purgatorio.
My mother always told us that if we want to survive a guerra it is much better to be in the provincia. The razon primera of course is there is food to last until the delubio or terror is finally over.
She told us they would descansar early in the noche. Despues the Santo Rosario was recited together as a familia.
She would tell me, "te haga santo," in much the same way she was told, "te haga santa," after the Santo Rosario.
The lecciones of the guerra had been inculcated in our mind as young children. There were no tears as she told us the historias rather just melancolia.
I still remember the horas de peligro or hours of danger or dangerous times. The remnants of that war had spilled over to us, the new generacion. The newer generacion do not have the first-hand-accounts of the historias de guerra.
It was oral history.
Truth ciento por ciento as narrated by our own mother.
She ended it with the Liberation chapter. When the Americanos arrived with manzanas, chocolates, quesos and freedom from the enemies. And the era of Old Hollywood with the peliculas o cine brought a celebracion grande.
The rebuilding began after the destruction from the bombas that left a country in ruins.
Then, A Time of Peace...
May you be inspired by The Holy Spirit and May God Bless us all!
photo credit: The National Guard Bataan Death March historic photos via photopin (license)
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