Gifts of Life, Time, Love, Family and Opportunity

In an earlier comment on Facebook I wrote, “What we really have that we should be thankful for are the gifts of Life, Time, Love, Family, and Opportunity that only God Almighty could have provided. Let us use them to the fullest lest we lose them soonest!”

I am reminded of the event that my family attended last Sunday, November 25, 2012. It was the 70th birthday of Steve Ettinger, spouse of Ronnie Feria Nieva and father of J (Jonathan) and K (Ken). The Ettingers are close family friends who celebrate Thanksgiving with us every year.

The event was an illustration of how the gifts that I mentioned above were used to the fullest. Enjoying LIFE, Steve traveled to about 80 countries, many with his FAMILY who LOVE spending a lot of TIME with him. Every OPPORTUNITY afforded to Steve and his FAMILY to be together is a gift that they took advantage of in LIFE, in TIME and for LOVE!

I video-recorded most of the important parts of the celebration which was also attended by friends and relatives coming from different cities and countries. As J (Jonathan) said, “There are more guests today than what they had during their wedding – meaning, a great improvement.”

I watched my recording at home and indeed, even a non-attendant would notice how K (Ken) in his slideshow of photos reflected how his father enjoyed LIFE over TIME and how FAMILY displayed LOVE in every OPPORTUNITY. The photos spoke thousands of words. The Map that J created illustrating what his father and family visited made all the guests imagine the amazing company and adventures of this family during their travels.

As the slides of photos reflected the wonderful past, there was a live show of Ronnie, J (Julia) girl friend of J, and K (Kyla) girl friend of K, as great hostesses to the event happily greeting and welcoming the guests. Suddenly, Ronnie was not the lone woman in the family. GOD is good!

K (Kyla) sang beautifully one of Steve’s favorite songs, “You'll Never Walk Alone.” Many in the audience, me included, found a new American Idol.  

The roasting by friends and relatives told of interesting and funny stories that depicted Steve’s likes, dislikes, skills, talents, and other traits that are now commonly revealed on Facebook.

I enjoyed the wit, the humor, as well as the display of great love and admiration for their father by sons Jonathan and Ken in their respective toasts.

The response of Dr. Stephen Ettinger in limerick style was witty, humorous, and unforgettable.

It was an Affair to Remember, a celebration of one’s life story worth telling and even emulating, and, in digital parlance, the successful search, retrieval and presentation of one’s memories stored and bookmarked in a family’s server.

Most importantly, Dr. Veronica Feria Nieva efficiently and effectively managed the memorable event along what Jonathan called the  “Judeo-Christian-Atheistic” tradition.:)

I look forward to our next Annual Family Thanksgiving Dinner and many more birthday celebrations for Steve! He is a Pancreatic Cancer survivor.

Past photo of family (slideshow) and                   

event photo of Julia and Kyla greeting guests

Steve with kids Jon and Ken (slideshow) and Julia with Ken welcoming guests (event photo)