Estrella

HUNYO, ROMANTIKONG BUWAN

Isa sa mga paborito kong buwan ang Hunyo.  Marami akong kinakanta na sinasaliwan ko nang tugtog sa ukulele na may salitang June.  Tulad ng -

January, February, June or July,
I said January, February, June or July,
Oh, shine on, shine on harvest moon
Up in the sky
I ain't had no lovin'
Since January, February, June or July...
for me and my guy...

At sa mga jam session noon, sinasayawan namin kapag sweet ang tugtog, na may kasama pang dip na deep -

I stand at your gate.
And the song that I sing is of moonlight.
I stand and I wait
For a touch of your hand in a June night.
The roses are sign of moonlight serenade...

Siempre naman, sa aming high school, sino ang hindi makaaalala ng duwetong pag-awit nina Choleng at Abner, miyembro ng Glee Club, ng Song of Songs -

Do you recall that night in June when first we met?
Do you remember love the words we spoke?
Have you forgotten all the tender vows we made
In the silent magical moon beams light...
Gone are the golden dreams with summer roses
And all of our tender-est vows were made but to be broken
Song of songs, song of memory
And broken melody of love and life
Never more to me can that melody
Fill the heart with the joy once it knew
Oh night of bliss, night of June and love
Beneath the stars amid the roses
Oh dream of delight that faded at dawn
Oh song of songs, oh night of bliss
When you were my whole world of love
When you were my whole world of love, of love.


Bagaman at ayon sa statistiko, higit na marami ang mga nagpapakasal sa buwan ng Disyembre kaysa sa Hunyo (sa panahon ngayon marahil dahil tag-ulan at tag-baha ito), kinagisnan nang nakaugnay ang buwang ito sa pag-aasawa.  June Bride, kasabihan na.  At dahil nasa paksa ng pag-aasawa tayo at ang napili ko ring kwento para sa buwang ito ay tungkol sa pagpili ng makakaisang-palad, nais kong ilagay dito, with permission, ang isinulat sa blog ng aking anak who is a wife and a teacher-mama, homeschooling her children.

Ayon sa kanya, isang kaiswela sa high school writing a book asked her to answer a list of questions on husband-wife relationships.  And sagot niya sa isa sa mga tanong ang ilalagay ko rito:

What is a happy marriage?

Sabi ng anak ko:  Her questions required more than the ten-minute limit I've set for "fun" online time.  I certainly find myself happy when my husband cooks dinner or empties the trash without waiting for it to overflow.  Happier even when he keeps the cars filled up with gas or engages the girls in whatever activity they are all doing. But to answer this question, I needed more than ten minutes.

Or as I wrote to my friend: Ang hirap naman ng mga tanong mo.  I have to define happiness.  Then I have to describe observable behaviors. That used up all of my online time.

According to the others, her questions made them re-think their marriages and expectations.  I took the easy way out and did not bother to think.  But it was surprising for me to find a homeschooling question--whether it is a general one about philosophies or a specific one about curriculum options--to be far easier to answer.  I am around the girls more hours in the day, living the homeschooled life outside of the 9-to-5 schedule, talking and listening, in the car and on the track.  I am constantly on the computer researching about maps for geography, comparing language tutorials, evaluating living books.

My friend wanted me to think of a happy marriage consciously---

Without the advantage of time to ponder the question, I dare answer: What is a happy marriage? 

I suppose I can liken it to the homeschooled lifestyle: it is a conscious decision to live a specific kind of life, with days that are sometimes chaotic, sometimes uneventful but always towards a destination.  The girls have their bad math days and fun science days.  All those days help them to learn and to love to learn. 

Just like this marriage dance.  We have funky days and honeymoon days, stepped on each other's toes and tango'd like experts.  In the end, we learn to dance with this one partner we've chosen for life.

Learn to dance with the partner we've chosen!  Ito ay kung ikaw o ako, tayo... ang pipili ng ating makakaisang-palad.  Paano kung iba?

Narito ang kwento para sa buwang ito.