ONCE IN A LIFETIME LOVE

Lyrics: BAV

Melody & Vocals: BOV

I

A flicker of hope

A star that brightens

A light that shines

A love that grows in my heart

When our eyes met alas!

II

Each day grows a seed

Of love deep within my heart

Your voice makes me enliven

Your shadows captivate me

You take my breath away!

CHORUS:

This love we have

A once in a life time love

I keep on living

Battling with the world

This once in a life time love

Will never cease until the very end. 

III

In this perfect time we’ve met

Loving unconditionally

You are my forever

I never ask for more

‘Coz this is a once in a life time love.

BRIDGE:

This once in a life time love

Be there till the end...be there till the end...

"No Te Vayas, Por Favor"

Please, don't leave!

Every time this line captures my mind, it makes my heart melt and feel that they are crying in pain. Much as I would like to stay but here comes an opportunity I have to face, a battle I have to win.

Please, don´t leave!

It’s been so many countless days and nights thinking about the offer. The lure of working in a strange land knocked my door. The opportunity came unexpectedly. “Shall I grab it now or something better awaits me here?” I was so perplexed that time but thinking of leaving them made me so undecided to accept the offer. But everytime I see them in my dreams sighing, “Please, stay and don’t leave us” made me outspoken for a moment.

Please, don´t leave!

How could I leave my family whom I call my own? My two lovely kids Godley and Dyreen who are always my source of joy, strength and inspiration? My friends who have always been there through my ups and down, through my most desperate moments and triumphs? 

Please, don´t leave!

How could I bid goodbye to my beloved profession? I had a good job at Saint Louis University (Baguio City). Every day was a happy day at SLU LES. Dealing with brilliant and bubbly kids really made my day. They learned and I also learned. Knowledge didn’t only come from me as their mentor but they, too, had a lot to share during our daily engaging discussions. 

Please, don´t leave!

How could I say farewell to my well-loved journalism club? I always loved teaching my writers how to craft beautiful stories that reflect life and beauty... stories that could melt the hearts and transform the world for a better change. I would never forget the heart-pounding and nerve-wrecking scenarios waiting for the results of winners in the writing competitions from the local to the national level we had participated in with my brilliant scribblers. We won some. We lost some. But the lesson learned was more important than the laurels reaped for I had instilled in them the power of the pen that could bring positive influence to the readers. Winning is just a plus factor and their experience counts even more. 

Please, don’t leave! 

My conscience spoke not to leave. But to face new experience and opportunity challenged me to accept the offer. It’s something to prove how I could fare in another field, in a foreign land. And most importantly, my desire to give the best for my family hinted me to grab this opportunity.

Please, don´t leave!

While counting days before leaving the country, so many questions flooded my mind. Is this really the best option? Will I succeed in a strange land? Will I ever survive despite differences among people? What happens when I leave them?

Here I am in this strange land, braving new opportunities and battling day-to-day challenges in a strange place like Madrid. Its fluctuating economy is something that depresses a newcomer like me but this doesn’t hinder my plight as an OFW. The difficulty of searching for a new employment after losing the promised job was really frustrating and even came to the vantage point of quitting. But I am not quitting. Instead, these are just add-on to my experience. These would eventually make me a better person... a stronger person in a place which I don’t call my own. A brave soldier doesn’t lose hope. Beyond these complexities come greater and better opportunities when you surpass them, so they say. 

It was too difficult at first. New job, new challenges. Lost one, then found one. I am so thankful that BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) here in Madrid embraced me and answered my whispers to God during the many sleepness nights I had gone through. 

Yes, I have left my own home, my teaching job, my true friends but it doesn’t mean that I have forgotten what they have taught me. I would continue striving just as what they have instilled in me.

I have left my family but they’re always in me... in my heart and in my mind. I have left my kids, who until now, keep longing for my presence, but I promise, through prayers that we will be together soon by God’s grace.

I left. 

“But, you will always be my home and my own.”