A Woman of Noble Character

Philippine Sunrise

Sunrise in Mayawya
by Nino Carandang

photo source

The woman who gave birth to and raised my husband will always have a special place in my heart.

We fondly called her Nanay, a Filipino word that means Mother.

Seven years ago today, Nanay went home to be with the Lord. She was 84 years old.

For eighty four years, this incredible woman touched the lives of many, especially that of her own family. Nanay was indeed God's gift to us.

She was not a perfect wife or mother, and she never pretended to be. But this is what truly endears her to us. She was a simple woman with a simple faith. In this lies the secret of her strength: her simplicity. She lived a life without many trimmings, without complexities. She did what she knew needed to be done. She did not worry about deep doctrines...but she knew what she believed, and Whom she believed in. Nanay lived out her Christian faith in the way she understood it best. Because she did not have such a complicated way of looking at life, she was able to live a life of purpose.

She lived her life, not for herself, but for others. This is her greatest legacy to her family - her selfless life of service. There was always food on the table in her home. He kitchen stove always had a pot with something cooking in it.

She made her home a place of simple beauty by keeping it clean and neat. Her floors and windows were always shiny. Her bedcovers, curtains, linen were washed much too often. But her home was never just for herself and her family. The door to their home was always open, and people felt welcome to stay at her home for a meal, for a place to sleep.

Nanay had a cheerful disposition...she always had something to laugh about. Her home would always be ringing with her laughter. She loved people, she loved meeting together with family and friends to celebrate.

She was involved in the lives of her children even long after they had left her nest and had lives of their own. She was "Nanay" even to the grandchildren and great grandchildren. Two of her children reside in North America (USA and Canada) but distance was not a deterrent to her. She was never far from our lives. She was confident that she had a place, that she belonged, that she was welcome in our hearts.

Some people are takers, but Nanay was a giver. She was always thinking of what she could give others. Always so thoughtful, always finding ways to reach out...she was never too busy to give me and my family a dish of food, a basket of fruits, fresh fish from the farm, vegetables, a bedcover she had crocheted herself, a part of her heart.

Today is a good time to remember the influence and the impact she had upon my life, for she was the mother of the man I loved. She taught him how to be selfless, and giving, and kind. She brought him up in the fear of the Lord, she imparted her life of simple faith to him.

Ernie was a truly a good husband to me, and a good father to our children, I can only thank Nanay for her godly influence on him that continues to live on in our lives.

She was a woman of faith. It was her faith in God her Creator that prepared her for her dying day. She died in peace, just three days before Christmas. We are proud of the legacy and heritage that Nanay left to her descendants. Surely her memory will live on and her life will continue to be a blessing for many generations to come.

Many women do noble things
but you surpass them all.
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.


I will always love you, Nanay.

Nanay, just a few months before she died.