The funeral for Nanay was last Saturday afternoon. Three priests said the mass for her. If two other priest friends of ours weren't away, there would have been five there.

In addition there was a large crowd for the mass. Leonette's friends came from as far as Kendall(80 miles away) and the local Filipino community also showed up. Omar, Jenni's former Muslim boyfriend, came. He said he had never been to a funeral before. I thank all these people for making what was a difficult week so much easier.

Leonita and Leonette both said eulogies. As my sister-in-law spoke, I began to wish I had made plans to talk too. Nanay was the only mother I had for the last twenty-one years.

Nanay is being cremated today and we'll pick up the ashes this afternoon. My wife and Leonette will take Nanay's remains back to the Philippines next year.

The nine day novena will end tomorrow. That will also be Leonette's last full day here. She had been staying with us or at JFK hospital since Nanay began radiation treatments in August. Leonette has been a big comfort to my wife. Leonita will return to work tomorrow and the children go back to school or college that day too. Today is Columbus Day.

While life will be back to normalcy, it won't be the same without Nanay here. We will all miss her.

I'm beginning to write again. My goal is to get Duty Honor Country Family Chapter 25 published by month's end. I do have nearly 4,000 words written(3,965 to be precise). I'm 1/4th to 3/10ths of the way there.