Princess Gemma's Profile

My favorite and most cherished photograph is a sepia toned picture of my father's family, with my then young father, in front of their home in the Philippines, taken in the 1940's. He was the youngest in a family of thirteen children. Smiles light their faces as they stand in front of this tiny little house and it's evident how much they all love each other. It captures their openess to the world and all of it's possiblities. Many of my father's siblings left home to make a different life for themselves, all of them went on to college and post graduate degrees, with the exception of my Aunt Teodora, the only girl and the eldest, who sacrificed her education to raise her younger brothers when my grandmother passed away at a very early age.

The photograph sits in a very simple dark wood frame and hangs in my hallway where I pass it everyday. It reminds me of my father, who passed away recently, and our humble roots and how love endures. It makes me grateful for everything I have been blessed with, and affirms my belief that with love, hard work and determination we can live the life we've dreamed of.