TONIGHT THE BLOGGER FORGIVES

     The hiatus was an accumulation of frustrations and disappointments. But tonight, for the sake of unity and the Smiling Lady, who is sick, all will be forgiven. She will no longer read from the blogger's FOR YOUR EYES ONLY things that may disturb her peace of mind.
      Forgiveness is hard to give but the blogger realizes that he has forgotten the discussions long ago about the proper translation and application of the Greek, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do/Ama, pakawanem ida ta dida ammo ti ar-aramidenda."  
      The blogger was with priests and a deaconess and they had a good time with the Word. There was laughter each morning, from Monday to Friday, in that corner of the world along Bokawkan Road in Baguio City. 
     That world will not come again except in memory. Two of the translators have crossed the Great Divide: Fr. Godofredo A. Albano of Bacarra, Ilocos Norte and Rev. Anacleto G. Guerrero of Moncada, Tarlac. Mrs. Patrocinia Tayaban lives in Itogon, Benguet; Bishop Juan Marigza in Aringay, La Union and Rev. Gervacio Tovera in California. United Bible Societies' Rev. Noel Osborn, the project coordinator, lives somewhere in Ohio, USA, while Mrs. Rosalind, our Baby, Camat, lives in Baguio City, looking after her husband Romy, who has been incapacitated by a heart condition .
    The blogger, a native of Laoag City, was the only writer and layman in that ecumenical group that translated the Bible into Iluko. The only layman in eight major Philippine ethno-linguistic translation groups at that time, he was given the Roman Catholic Church imprimatur (authority) to sit with the Ilokanos by Batanes Bishop Mario Baltazar.