Happy Birthday Mommy

                                                            My mother in her early 30's

It has been quite a while since I have last written and updated my blog, the last being February 5, 2012. This blog I have mainly used for my passion in running and race walking. However, since February I suffered stress fracture on my right foot which has prevented me from joining weekend road races thus finding myself with no subject to write at. I am just about fully recovered now and I am back again in my daily morning workout but have tapered down my weekly distance from 40-45 km/week to 30-35 km/week to allow my body to recoperate. Not getting any younger.

                                                             My mother in her 80's

I am turning 61 this coming May and as much as I could like not to count the number they do tell quite a lot in a man's life. I am veering out from my usual topic on running and would like to dedicate this blog to my mother LEA CASTRO WHELAN. Yes, I still do have a mother! She is turning 83 years old (born March 22, 1921) she may not be that healthy right now but has had a number or series of operations, you name it she had had it. Praise God, she is still alive and is now living in Sydney Australia with her 2nd husband KEITH WHELAN.

My father in his 40's

Last March 15th was my father's AMADO CASTRO SR. 32nd death anniversary (died March 15, 1980) which I would also like to take recognition of what and who I came to be. Unfortunately God did not grant him longer life in this world as he was only 59 years old when he passed away.

But this blog is for my mother, just imagine being 83 years old! She hates me reminding her of the years. You must have out lived 90 percent of your classmates, playmates, friends and contemporaries. Mommy might not be that physically strong right now but she is very strong in character that you will but lose any argument with her under the sun. Sometimes I find her too hard headed and could just see myself in her 20 years from now, that is if I am as God blessed as she has been.

To my mother, I and my wife Hermie, with my children Dax/Pamela, Dawn/Alex and Dennis, together with my grandchildren KC, Maxine and Gaby,  wish you a very Happy Birthday and we contineously pray for healing and good health. We love you Mommy.

Running A Therapy In Life

Everyman has his own favorite nook in a house where he spends most of his daydreaming, meditation or just passes the time. To me my favorite place is our sitting area with a panoramic view Metro Manila and even a view of the Corregidor Island on a clear and smog free day.

It was during one of my lazy time last weekend that a question pops out in my mind. “What is really the reason why a person gets hook-up into running?” I wanted to find an answer and I need not go any further and have only to find out from myself why I keep on running?

To better understand and explain matters let me first provide you the meaning of THERAPY which I think is the keyword.

Therapy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

For other uses, see Therapy (disambiguation).

Therapy (in Greek: θεραπεία), or treatment, is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a diagnosis. In the medical field, it is synonymous with the word "treatment". Among psychologists, the term may refer specifically to psychotherapy or "talk therapy".

Preventive therapy or prophylactic therapy is a treatment that is intended to prevent a medical condition from occurring. For example, many vaccines prevent infectious diseases. An abortive therapy is a treatment that is intended to stop a medical condition from progressing any further. A medication taken at the earliest signs of a disease, such as at the very symptoms of a migraine headache, is an abortive therapy.

A supportive therapy is one that does not treat or improve the underlying condition, but instead increases the patient's comfort.[1] Supportive treatment may be palliative care.

RUNNING is a THERAPY and the cheapest form at that. When I run, my inner self has the undivided attention as to my worries, problems, needs, and expectations may any or all of these be concerning a family member, a friend, myself or any person under the sun. It is during my run that I talk to myself and find solution or plan to address situations or just ignore situation at hand. It is my psychotherapy or "talk therapy".

Running has been my Preventive therapy or prophylactic therapy at it is then that I am able to evaluate and see things as they are. Running has been my An abortive therapy as in running I do plan corrective measures or just address the issues at hand. Running has been my supportive therapy while there are times or even most of the time, the things that goes into my mind do not actually get solve or do improve the issues at hand, however, my just talking to myself in running makes me open up to reality and see issues as they are. My state of denial is overcome making  me acceptable to the situation or just ignore the whole issue.

I tell you all runners talk to their own selves whenever they run, knowingly or not. I think by some unexplained chemical or biological reasons our body when put on the stress of running reacts by opening our mind and allows us to talk in within. Does this sound crazy or logical? To me it does and I think to most if not all runners. It is this very reason I think that makes running additive and high. It is a time to be on your own, a chance to talk one on one with oneself. You can be honest, realistic, open and acceptable to issues or just take the opposite stance of all the good characteristics and play the devils role without actually causing any immediate damage to anyone as everything is still only in the mind. It is a MENTAL EXERCISE. Running makes your mind awake and active either you like it or not.

On your regular run, begin with a short prayer and meditation of POSITIVE actions and dreams so that your mind would have been primed up for positive actions. Anyway, your run will not only test your physical well being, but, will keep your mind moving and wandering with each stride your make.

All these for what they say “sound mind and a healthy body”.

Mama Mia, Mama Mia

Wikipedia in its website defines a MOTHER as “a biological and/or social female parent of an offspring. Because of the complexity and differences of the social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to define a mother in a universally accepted definition.”

March is the month that my mother was born. I am blessed not only is she well and alive to this day but am thankful to the Lord for all the things she has done to me and my brothers and sisters. She has never stopped to be a mother to us throughout all these years. No matter how old we already are, she still has the same concern and love as when we were just newly born ages ago. Only death in this life will stop her to be a mother to us.

Born and named Lea Bosch Lacson in Murcia Negros Occidental on March 22, 1929 to Judge Serafin Villanueva Lacson (+)and Caridad Bosch(+). Her siblings were Miguel(+) Consuelo(+)Serafin Jr.(+) Milagros(+) Gloria and Charito both still alive and now residing at the USA.

My mother completed her studies at La Consolacion College in Bacolod City and on April 30, 1949 married my father Amado Castro Sr. of San Carlos Pangasinan. They had seven children namely, Ricardito(+), Amado Jr., Mike, Malou, Jorge, Christopher and Marili.

On March 15, 1980 my father Amado Sr. died of heart ailment. On March 22, 1983 my mother remarried to Keith Whelan an Australian national. They are now living in Sydney Australia and with God’s blessing both of them are healthy and mobile considering they are in their 80’s.

This coming May 2009, I and my family with my mother and step-father will spend our vacation at Moreno Valley California which will be hosted by my daughter Dawn and her husband.

If I will define a mother in one word its none other than “LOVE”, also a word that is challenging to define but I can safety say all of you out there will do agree that your mother can only be equated to the word LOVE.

Happy 80th Birthday Mommy! We love you. Mama mia, mama mia!