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Grief, Darkness, and the Grace of Stillness

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By Nancy David Galang, MA Be still, and know that I am God. ”  -   Psalm 46:10 Simula nang bata pa ako, Holy Week meant going out of town with the whole family. Taking that much needed summer break. Bonding and catching up. Beach, Baguio, out of the country, perhaps.  Today is Black Saturday, but I never really knew what it meant. I never bothered to find out.  So what does Black Saturday mean?   As I have read - in this context, Black Saturday carries these three meanings: grief, darkness, and stillness. Grief, because Jesus has died. Darkness, because there is no clear hope yet. Stillness, because nothing seems to be happening. It's the quietest day of the Holy Week. Napagdaanan at naramdaman n'yo na ba lahat ito, mga Nan-sis? I surely have. YES na YES to all three!  Grief - we have all lost someone close to us, one way or the other. I have lost my dad, my husband, and my mom.  I am still griving the loss of my mom. We lost her October of l...
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“Caps, Gowns, and Gratitude: Celebrating My Son’s Graduation and a Parent’s Dream Fulfilled”

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  By Nancy D. Galang, MA “The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.” -  Michelle Obama My youngest son, Rocky, who graduated October last year, recently asked me bakit daw hindi ko pino-post sa social media ang graduation picture niya. Ang sabi ko, I wanted na ibalita ito sa "Sambayanang Pilipino" through a blog entry (kaso ang hirap humanap ng oras magsulat). Paano, super proud ako hindi lang sa kanya at sa tatlo kong anak that they all have college degrees, kundi sa sarili ko din. Imagine... NAKAPAGPATAPOS AKO NG APAT NA ANAK! Sabi ko nga sa kanila, mag-ce-celebrate kami at magpa-party kasi super big milestone ito ng aming pamilya.  Thanksgiving na din sana sa lahat ng mga tao who supported us in this journey. Kung hindi din naman dahil sa tulong at suporta ng mga kaibigan at pamilya, hindi kami makakarating sa finish line.  Kaso hindi natuloy ang celebration, kasi ang eldest ko na si Nix, s...
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"What Didn''t Break Me, and What Almost Did" by Nancy D. Galang, MA

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It’s 2026, mga Nan-sis.   How was your 2025?  I didn’t end 2025 with a big bang. No countdown highlights, no dramatic “I made it” moment. Just a regular day, making sure my family had specially prepared meals for dinner, posting our family gathering on social media, and wishing everyone a simple “Happy New Year.” On the surface it looked ordinary, but it felt so much heavier than it should have. Maybe because I was closing a year without my mom around. I never knew how much her absence would change the way everything felt, even the ordinary moments. Christmas and the Quiet That Followed For as long as I can remember, Christmas and New Year celebrations meant Mom’s baked macaroni. It meant looking forward to the gifts she carefully picked out for me and the kids. It meant photo ops around her and watching her drink one bottle of beer before she dozed off. And now there’s this quiet space where she used to be - a real feeling of emptiness. The last few years with Mom, as she gre...
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My Katinko (Liniment) Era: Getting Older, But Wiser

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 By Nancy David Galang, MA "We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw They say that that the average life expectancy of Filipino women is 73.6. This is based on the latest data published in 2020 by World Health Organization (WHO). In case you are curious, for Filipino men, it is 67.4.  Yes, mas maaga silang namamatay kaysa sa atin, kaya mga Misis na Nan-sis (Nanay sisters), go get them as many Life Insurances as you can! (let us please grow old AND wiser!)                                        This being a fact of life, I am now 17 years into this average life expectancy and now undeniably living my Katinko Era.  Yes, JUST another 17 years.  I turn 56 today (I know, I know, hindi po halata, haha). If 56 years just flew so fast, then I suppose, isang iglap na lang ang 17 years. And so after a few months of pu...
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