How do you let go?

How do you let go and how do you move on, my friend? Tell me.

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Aside from hosting and running Vision Board and personality development workshops, I also manage my 2 Wrap It Up! stores. One in Walter Mart and another one in Cash and Carry, both in Makati.

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The stores are open from 10 am to 9 pm, everyday. Monday to Sunday. And out of the 365 days, we only close twice a year. One is every Black Friday and the other one, we reserve for a very, very special day… our Thanksgiving.

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Last week, all 5 Wrap It Up! branches closed for a day because we wanted to honor our wrap artists by having a fun day where they can all just relax, play games, eat good food and just enjoy the company of one another.

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On our 18th year of thanksgiving…. (Yes, Wrap It Up! is 18 years already! Thank you to my amazing mom, Chiqui Barretto, for giving birth to Wrap It Up!)… we decided to make it extra special for one person who is worthy of our sincere gratitude.

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His name is Mang Ruben.

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Mang Ruben is our ever reliable, loyal and honest family/company driver.

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And when I say reliable, loyal and honest, I want you to picture a man who:

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Always honors his call time…he was never late;

Always says yes whenever we needed him to drive for any of us.

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Never cheated on money, time and other resources;

Never put our lives at risk and;

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Is very dedicated to what he does up to the point that … I remembered, many years ago, when he was cleaning the car and preparing for us to leave, he got an important call from one of his sons who was requesting for his presence at that particular time.

I sensed that it was very very important. I even thought, he might cancel the driving. But on the other line, he just said… “Pasensya ka na, hindi kasi ako pwede ngayon. Tawagan mo nalang si…” Or “I am sorry. I can’t join you now. Please ask help from…”

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That was dedication at its finest.

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We chose to celebrate and honor him during our Thanksgiving party because a few days prior to that, he talked to my mom and said that he is finally retiring.

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He actually should have retired 3 years ago.

But it was so hard to let go of him.

And whenever we would ask him to bring us to places, he would still say yes. And that went on for 3 long years.

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But 2 weeks ago, he made up his mind when he felt that his energy and stamina are not the same anymore.

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On his 20th year with us, he chose to retire gracefully and happily.

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Back in college, Mang Ruben used to bring me to UP Manila every Monday.

Mang Ruben drove a lot of our relatives and friends to so many places.

At times, he even made “abono” or cash advances for us. (Cute, huh?)

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I have been meaning to share this story. But I always got emotional and I couldn’t even start typing because I was feeling kind of sad BUT very very grateful at the same time.

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Mind you, I just saw Mang Ruben the other day and I know I have moved on (haha!) Now, every time I’d remember and see him, I only have the words “Thank you” to utter.

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I thank God for the kind of person He gave me and my family for the past 20 years. 

I thank God for allowing us to love and be loved by people like him.

I thank God for reminding me that time flies so fast and we have to appreciate more often the people who matter. 

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Truly, life is beautiful!

Sharing with you our simple Thanksgiving group picture below.

Guess where Mang Ruben is!

Yes, he is the one at the center, in Green and White!

How about you, do you have someone like Mang Ruben in your life as well?

I am 100% sure you do!

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As I end this letter, let’s pray for my Mang Ruben, for your own Mang Ruben and for all the people in this world who are like them.

Lord, thank you for all the Mang Rubens in this world. 

May You give them longer happier and healthier lives. 

Please grant the desires of their hearts as we wish them all the happiness their hearts could ever hold. 

And just like them, help us to be more reliable, loyal and honest in everything that we do. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

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Thank you for praying with me and for reading, too! ’til my next story!