Leonisa Galona Mojeno celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday with three of her children and some of her 18 grandchildren and 36 great granchildren.
The pandemic may have limited the number of guests and family members at the gathering but the simple event at The Ruins in Talisay City defines the character, the values, and zest for life of Lola Nisa.
A hundred years of blessings, 10 decades of keeping her faith, living a healthy lifestyle and praising God, was how Perla, one of her grandchildren told the Negros Now Daily.
Lola Nisa was only 31 years old when her husband, Epifanio, died. It was her eldest, Jose, who was only 12 years old then, who stepped in and helped his mother raised his three other siblings – Lucia, Felix and Oscar.
With her meager income as a dressmaker and with the help of Jose, Lola Nisa managed to send her three younger children to school.
“She is very prayerful. She told us that if it was not for her faith and for communing with God, she might not have been be able to cope up with all the hardships,” Perla said.
Lola Nisa is very disciplined. She wants more vegetables in her meals and she loves to eat boiled eggs. She also drinks her milk judiciously, her grandchild said.
She may looked dainty but Lola Nisa, an avowed Pau d Arco liniment user, remains active. She regularly takes down her own laundry from the clothesline and folds them so neatly that it looks freshly-ironed, Perla said.
She’s still very articulate and she remembers the names of her grandchildren and even the great grandchildren, who were all successful in their chosen careers.
“Her apos are engineers, medtech, nurses, a teacher, pastor, and seafarers…all were successful in their chosen careers,” Perla said.
The celebration of Lola Nisa’s 100th birthday was a thanksgiving for the gift of family and faith.
For Perla, it was also a tribute to her father, Jose, who died a day before Lola Nisa was about to celebrate her 85th birthday in 2006.
“For sure, Tatay is happy to see Lola honoured and all of us celebrating the blessing of 100 years. We give everything back to God,” Perla said. — NAB
