Coming Full Circle With Migi's Corner

It's been quite a busy and blessed week for me. God always likes to keep me busy in the days leading to Migi's birthday.

Tomorrow he will be 15 in heaven. I like to think of him now as a young man, in a pin-striped, collared shirt (his favorite)probably surrounded by books and paintings of his beloved dinosaurs. It is a beautiful and peaceful image to hold on to.

On Tuesday this week, we launched "Heaven's Butterfly" - a story that my daughter and I co-wrote that re-tells the story of what our life was like in the first year after Migi's death. The book is the first of its kind as part of a new series - special topics for kids -- that Anvil is launching beginning with this book. Our launch was held at the Ateneo de Manila University, hosted by the School of Humanities (where I teach my class on grief) as part of the Ateneo's Sesquicentennial celebration. Both Panch Alcaraz and I are graduates of the Ateneo. P, my co-author, is an Atenean to-be come June 2009.

Wednesday found me talking to the members of the Philippine Ambulatory Pediatrics Association in Clark Field, Pampanga. My talk was in tandem with a pediatricians lecture on the rights of the dying child. Standing in a room filled with around 200 pediatricians was surreal for me. The journey to get to that day has taken 11 years of grief work. This February 21, we mark not only Migi's 15th birthday but the 10th year of Migi's Corner also. Today we continue to maintain 10 (from the original 14) corners all over the Philippines. The project has come full circle.

With the release of the book, I feel that the legacy Migi has left behind continues to evolve and now it is time to begin a new chapter. This new chapter has begun to unfold this week and I am humbled and awed at the manner by which things have begun to slowly fall into place. I promise to share them here with you as God affirms the plan He has set out for me and our family.

Today, I received a wonderful gift for the very first Migi's Corner that we set up at the Philippine Heart Center 10 years ago. IBM Philippines is donating a play/work station where the children confined at PHC will be able to enjoy interactive games and lessons in the confines of Migi's Corner as they heal from heart surgery. Migi's Corner has now entered the digital age! Thank you to IBM and to the Heart Center for their support of Migi's Corner throughout the years. The project will be turned over formally in about a month's time.

As I reflect on all these events I am truly grateful and humbled by the grace and faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's been a difficult but yes, very blessed decade for Migi's Corner, for myself and for our family. Now, as the ministry and the advocacy continues to evolve, I am just thankful to be able to continue to serve Him and so grateful for the short but meaningful life of my son. Truly, as Morrie Schwartz said, "Death ends a life, not a relationship." We continue to honor his memory and love him even if he has long been gone from us. God's ways are always wonderful and wise, even if often we cannot understand His ways, we can find the confidence in ALWAYS trusting His heart.