Save the Albums

My grandfather used to have a way with words -- he liked saying the simplest things and letting the audience deduce all sorts of philosophical understanding and deeper meaning from it. 

One life lesson I remember from him was his answer to the commonplace small-talk question, 

"If your house was burning, what would you save?" 

He said "the albums."

 

That was at the back of my mind when I started exploring my grandparent's old house here in Annex, Ozamis City. I found so much precious items -- an old record player, some clean records, collector's item shizms -- but nothing was as precious as when I saw old pics of mummy, of lolo, of lola, they brought me to a time when my mother wasn't the epitome of adulthood that she is now, 

but a quirky little girl.

I also understood my grandmother and her emphasis on taking care of myself and something she used to say "Always be presentable, because even if they deny it, their first judgement of you will come from how you look, then they'll get to know you for who you are." She was beautiful.

The past is never something you completely let go of, 

because they reveal why you are the way you are.

My mum saw me taking pictures of the old pics and added her own bit of wisdom

"If you lose everything else, you can work for it again -- the money, the TV, the house --

but the pictures you don't get back. 

You should know what granny (my great-grandmother) looked like."

I found littol joanie too!!