What is it with this woman? In her life she helped topple a dictator. In her death, people take time out to mourn and honor her.
This thought kept spinning in my mind as I stood there waiting on Ayala Avenue. I was there with professionals in their sharp business attire and housewives with kids in tow. In the noontime heat made bearable only by cool steady breeze, I could sense something palpable amid the continuous spray of confetti - something deep and simple at the same time. It would take me days to unravel this.
For one she brought back freedom of expression - something that the political press craved for so long and something we bloggers enjoy now but sometimes take for granted. Just a year ago I could not have enough of regular running stories from blogs, but now I struggle to read all the running blogs. This brings me to a train of thought I had been having as I celebrate a year of continuous running and blogging. Of all the ex-Presidents we would have, how many would be celebrated and fondly remembered as Tita Cory as they pass through life. Of all the running bloggers, how many would be loved and read with similar fondness?
We bloggers are each embued with our unique glimmer and purpose, but some are destined to shine brighter. Not because they are intrinsically special, but because a few are meant to be beacons of light for others.
As I reminisce about EDSA and Cory magic, I kept thinking that God has a magnificent way of assigning roles to His people. It may seem ironic to the finite human mind, but in God's script, the ordinary person assigned extra-ordinary roles prove to be the best catalysts for positive change. God chose not a brilliant politician like Ninoy, but a widow like Cory, to bring back our democracy.
Cory was chosen not because she was the most gifted, but because in her simplicity she represented and reflected the widest spectrum of us. Tita Cory was extra-special because fame nor power did not corrupt her. She knew that the glory was not hers but her God's. She knew her role, played it to the best of her ability even if with initial reluctance, and moved away from the limelight when the role was done. We all love her for these.
In the Philippine running scene, a young wife and mother in the person of Jaymie Pizarro captured the hearts of running enthusiasts and emerged as 2008 Best Sports Blogger in the country obsessed with basketball. In more recent times a runner from Negros Occidental named Jinoe Gavan came up with a simple idea that grew big: the running portal and forum that is takbo.ph.
Maybe the Philippine running community needs not a Marcos nor a Ninoy, but a Tita Cory. Maybe there is already a preponderance of 'brilliant' minds but a shortage of pure hearts. In her death Cory united Filipino runners today as several groups of runners or individuals dedicate their runs for her. Maybe we runners are just waiting for another Cory to rally the heroes in all of us. Or maybe the memory of Cory will be enough - even for just a while - for us to see the good in all of us.
We bloggers are each embued with our unique glimmer and purpose, but some are destined to shine brighter. Not because they are intrinsically special, but because a few are meant to be beacons of light for others.
As I reminisce about EDSA and Cory magic, I kept thinking that God has a magnificent way of assigning roles to His people. It may seem ironic to the finite human mind, but in God's script, the ordinary person assigned extra-ordinary roles prove to be the best catalysts for positive change. God chose not a brilliant politician like Ninoy, but a widow like Cory, to bring back our democracy.
Cory was chosen not because she was the most gifted, but because in her simplicity she represented and reflected the widest spectrum of us. Tita Cory was extra-special because fame nor power did not corrupt her. She knew that the glory was not hers but her God's. She knew her role, played it to the best of her ability even if with initial reluctance, and moved away from the limelight when the role was done. We all love her for these.
In the Philippine running scene, a young wife and mother in the person of Jaymie Pizarro captured the hearts of running enthusiasts and emerged as 2008 Best Sports Blogger in the country obsessed with basketball. In more recent times a runner from Negros Occidental named Jinoe Gavan came up with a simple idea that grew big: the running portal and forum that is takbo.ph.
Maybe the Philippine running community needs not a Marcos nor a Ninoy, but a Tita Cory. Maybe there is already a preponderance of 'brilliant' minds but a shortage of pure hearts. In her death Cory united Filipino runners today as several groups of runners or individuals dedicate their runs for her. Maybe we runners are just waiting for another Cory to rally the heroes in all of us. Or maybe the memory of Cory will be enough - even for just a while - for us to see the good in all of us.
2 comments:
I cant help it... everytime I'm seeing blogs about Cory makes me shiver... I have no idea what happened way back then in 1986 but I truly believe that it was a remarkable event....
Nice tribute blog Rico, very touching! She is indeed a gift to every Filipino and even the international community. I agree we are now ripping the fruit of her labor by bringing back the freedom to express through blogging, social networking and the likes.
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