The book cover by Ysabel Grace Simon of Even The Rainbow Has A Body drew inspiration from my granddaughter #princess2015la, my muse to whom this book is dedicated.
The idea was “to put all (or most) of the things that Rainbow means”, to me, as the author. “I know you dedicated your book to your granddaughter, so I modeled the child after her, said Ysabel about her source of inspiration.
“As legacies are intended to be passed on to the next generations, there is no better image that reflects the promise of new beginnings and hope than a child’s face. Children reminds us of the choice to believe in the part of humanity’s innate creativity, resilience, goodness and beauty in man in the midst of the constant push and pull between mediocrity and excellence, 9ld and new, and good and vile. One part of our self is what we inherit, the other is what we make of it, thus only half of the child’s face is shown, Ysabel Grace Simon (then 19yo) said of her watercolor painting.
On the 100th birthday of Sanctus Joannes Pavlvs PP II, aka St. #John Paul II’s letter #31: “In this holy place, the Church gives thanks to the Most Holy Trinity for the mystery of woman, and for every woman, for her eternal dignity and for the wonders God has worked in and through her in the history of humanity.” Pope Francis paid tribute to St. John Paul II, illustrating the 3 pillars of his life: prayers, nearness to people and love of justice.
He was a model bishop who prayed a lot. He sought people out, travelled around the world to be near his people.
He wanted social justice to drive out the war, because he was a man of mercy. Mercy and Justice go together, one does not exist without the other, said the Pope.
Vatican reopens to the public today.
At Fordham university’s baccalaureate mass, 5/17 Fr. James Martin received an honorary degree and gave the homily, in “chapels in your own homes.” He traced the journey of dejected disciples in the Road to Emmaus, and in their sadness and confusion, Jesus appears to them. Much like these graduates experiencing confusion, sadness in this pandemic, there’s calm, peace and hope in God’s voice.
To be woman and man for others is to love foreever.
Congratulations to Carina Oriel, who made her mark in Fordham.
Haley Williams, one of the commencement speakers, spoke of doing for the sake of giving, rather than receiving, and being present to the suffering of others, to being bothered by the needs of the world.
Carina did just that and organized well- attended conferences on fintech and attracted Venmo to collaborate with Fordham’s Business School.
# 1 – Vatican City Guide photo
# 2 – Altar
# 3 – Peonies
#4 – Natas plus homegrown strawberry and avocado
#5 – Remembering Zion’s Virgin River
#6 – Carina Oriel with fellow Fordham students, posted by Cora Oriel
“Mon’s performance at Catalina was the alarm clock [that] my jazz spirit needed to wake from its catatonic dormancy throughout the pandemic! It was a great jolt of jazz as Mon covered standards, new materials, and Tagalog songs (with his children Carlo and Nicole along for the ride!) The great Hoagy Carmichael (who wrote my dad’s favorite “Stardust”) penned another great composition called “Skylark” which Mon sang with such finesse and elegance. One of my personal highlights was Mon’s performance of the Gregory Porter tune “Take Me to the Alley” (I actually heard Gregory Porter sing that when he opened for Diana Krall at the Hollywood Bowl a few years ago). All in all, [it was] such a wonderful night of music by a consummate performer.” – Ted Benito, a jazz impresario/producer.
The tree and me
Accomplished. Consummate. Generous. Kind. Mon David generated results that were more than exquisite, more than a matter of techniques, more than the expressions of his feelings; he entered the realm of spirit.
It felt like a person kneeling in prayer, hitting every note, every emotion, every cadence, on pitch.
Songs about homecoming, family, being in love, planting trees that provide comfort, shade, “rather plant a sapling tree, lay my ashes, throw my body…our seeds will scatter far and wide across God’s fertile countryside, the tree and me,” he sang.
Ted Benito described Mon’s rendition, “which he dedicated to the frontliners [the nurses, the doctors, the first responders] became a call to action. Not for anything physical or political… for just being human…feeling compassion…respecting humanity.“
It makes us recall that in every man’s life, there comes a time, sooner or later when his soul draws the line. One starts to think, as one listens, “Who am I? But, truly who am I? Am I an isolated spark of dust, briefly lit, and destined to fade forever? Or am I a fragment of a greater humanity, waiting to return to my own Home? It is a passionate inquiry, having an urgency born of our encounter with life and proximity to death,” as Zalman Schacter-Shalomi, a Rabbi wrote in “From Ageing to Sageing.”
Why not, when close to two years into the Coronavirus pandemic, we are mourning 770,891 deaths in the US, in a population of 331,000,000. But not just in the United States, the virus has claimed 5,145,045 lives worldwide in over 190 countries. In recent months, Facebook posts from the Philippines were on untimely deaths: musician, filmmaker, civil rights lawyer. Sampaloc in Manila had 80% of its residents, afflicted with Coronavirus.
Mind you, it was not Halloween and we were past Dia de los Muertos or All Souls Day. Yet, it felt somber, still, but also joyful, a bit apprehensive to be indoors.
I had an unusual reaction to the “homecoming” title — was this a prelude to retire perhaps? Yet, he told us his hometown is in Santo Tomas, Pampanga and now, Canoga Park, while singing “No more blues, I am going home, Home is where the heart is, no more tears…no more fears.”
Could he be yearning for another home? Or simply saying: “LA, find a place for me. City of Angels that’s where I wanna be. Been living here 15 years…living in this beautiful City of Angel’s parks, beaches,” a Bill Withers song adapted to Mon’s sentiments for the night.
The band and the origins of the lullaby
When Mon sang “Lullaby for Nanay,” many were moved, some choked, and even a few more wiped away their tears, men included. It must have been perhaps that we were all collectively suffering while mourning hundreds of thousands of deaths, including Mon’s own mother, Ima who passed away in 2020.
“From the moment I heard NY – based harpist, Ms. Riza Printup played it at one of the Fil-Am Jazz festivals at Catalina Jazz Bar and Grill, the ‘Lullaby for Nanay’ melody has been etched in my heart and inspired me to write the words. Lalo pong naging matingkad noong nagpahinga na si Ima during the covid period. (It even became more intense when Ima died during the covid period). It was quite a challenge in front of a live audience, dahil iniiwasan ko ang bumigay habang inaawit ko. (as I tried not to give into my grief, while I sang it). I’m always reminded of her habilin at patnubay (of her last will and guidance) -“Monching, pursue what’s in your heart and surrender everything to God.”
“Kalinga mo, baon ko, pakakaingatan ko – Your nurturing care is my provision, I will take good care of it,” Mon sang with the intensity of his love for his Mom.
We felt his pain. We saw his struggle to maintain composure. “Bawat sandali at bawat galaw laan ko at alay ko sa iyo Nanay.patnubay mo ay baon ko…pagibig mong dalisay.” (Every moment and every move, I dedicate and offer to you, Nanay, your guiding lesson is my provision as your unconditional pure love).
It was as if his soul was imprinted not just by his Ima, but many jazz artists he paid homage to, that night: Beatles, Gregory Porter, Billie Holliday, Oscar Brown, Jr., John Hendricks and Leonard Bernstein, the composer, conductor, pianist and humanitarian.
As generous as Mon was in his sharing his feelings and his experiences, so were his bandmates in the way they accompanied him. In synch. Respectful. On cue. Not competing in volume with the vocal space.
Larry Koonse, Mon’s self-declared birthday gift, was simply prolific on the guitar, yet nuanced and quite playful.
Tateng Katindig played with very few music sheets and improvised with flair, as he made the piano keys feel like butter, playing the entire range of sounds on the piano.
Abe Lagrimas, Jr. was as prolific with drums as his ukulele that at times, he is referred to as a one-man band, and Mon asked him in jest, not to consider entering the ‘world of voice’ onstage or else, he will be muted by Abe’s talents, and Edwin Livingston who played the bass quite well.
‘In My Life’
As we said our goodbyes to Nicole David that night, an excited Rex Sampaga, a music industry professional, shared his feedback: “’In My Life’: a very nice waltz-like arrangement in ¾ time, while keeping the integrity of the melody and song written by Lennon/McCartney. I think that both Beatles would have approved of this thoughtful and jazzy arrangement.”
Nicole sang the opening bars with her velvety smooth voice, hooking us up to hear more of the new arrangement.
Even Michelle Sy was equally moved: “But one song that truly touched me deeply (and it always does) is ‘In My Life’ a duet by Mon and his daughter, Nicole. A duet between father and daughter in itself touched me even more because of what the song imparts – the love we all remember as the most significant, the deepest of them all. And as I reminisced (as I always do when I hear this song) I am always reminded of how important it is to love one’s self in the most unconditional way because it is through this love that I know I can give love and kindness and compassion to others – to family, to friends, to extended family, to strangers. It is a melancholy song if seen with earthbound eyes. But it is a spirit-filled song when taken as a spiritual homage to what we spiritual beings do as we walk through this life here on earth. It is truly a very powerful spiritual song in my book.”
Do you recall earlier what I wrote about Mon reaching the realm of his spirit? Much like MJ Harden, a singer in Hawaii, featured in Hawaiian Elders Speak, who said: ”Every person is an individual. I think what counts is your expression, your personal feeling, When you hear a song, you learn it, you know it, and you take it down and strain it through your heart. Open the ears of your heart and you can hear something good all the time.”
As Nicole called his brother, Carlo onstage to do a Tagalog song with Mon, she asked him “what do you recall about Dad that had the most impact for you?”
Carlo responded that at 14 years old, he was helping out as a production assistant onstage during his dad’s concert. One waiter admired Mon’s Barong Tagalog (an intricately hand-embroidered formal shirt made of pineapple fibers or jusi). After the concert, Mon took it off and gave it as a souvenir gift to this stranger.
The true benefit of Mon’s generosity is beyond the material gift to this waiter.
It is an inner revolution, a lesson learned by a 14-year-old Carlo, but also, it gave “fire to the soul” of Mon to become more fluid, to be more willing to take a risk and the boundaries disappeared between him and the stranger/waiter, and together they merged into whole, a humanity that Michelle Sy became part of, feeling one with father, daughter, and Carlo that evening.
It was a moment touching the deepest strata of our beings, as Piero Ferrucci wrote in the “The Power of Kindness,” “for the generous person, borders are permeable. What is yours – your suffering, your problems is also mine. This is compassion. What is mine – my possessions, my body, my knowledge and abilities, my time and resources, my energy is also yours. This is generosity.”
When Nicole sang “Two is Better than One,” a song by Taylor Swift and Martin Johnson, we were seeing the synergy created by a loving dad who calls his daughter Gel, short for an angel, a mom who pushes to connect to her creativity, to her craft, that moments earlier before soundcheck, she was giving her twins their bath so they can come with their dad, who was just getting off work, so all can join Mon for his birthday concert.
“Two is Better than One” truly is a gift from Nicole’s beautiful velvety voice that gives meaning to “Maybe it is true I can’t live without you, maybe it is true two is better than one.
And while Carlo sings, as he plays the guitar, he glances at where his family sat: Tala with her mom, Hanika.
An endearing walk back through the past, with APO singers that Mon was part of, the family of Mon, Carlo and Nicole sang a homage, a Song of friendship, Awit ng Barkada, a song for the ‘tribe’, ‘the clan’, the ‘close friends group’ and instead of friends, this family of singers: “Hirap at ginhawa, kasama mo kami, kasama mo, kasama ninyo,” (In struggles and in comfort, I am with you, with you, with all.)
Mon leaves nothing but love towards the end of his show, and even as he sang Kalakbuhay, a journey mate, he reminds us with Gregory Porter’s song “Take Me to the Alley,” a favorite of Ted Benito’s, as ours, the expressions on Mon’s lyrics as he sang these: “Take me to the afflicted one, take me to the lonely ones that somehow lost their ways, let them hear me say, that I am your friend, come to my table, rest in my garden, you will have a part. the hungry ones, the tired ones, I am your friend.”
And with the untiring generosity of Ann’s, his wife’s unconditional support, Mon’s children: Paolo, Nicole, Carlo and Mika who all attended with their spouses and partner with Mon’s grandchildren: Noah, 7 years old; Nico and Leo 4 ½-year-old twins; Bella – 3 years old and Tala – 2 ½ years old who all joined Mon to greet him a happy birthday, the audience saw first hand a joyful sight of family love onstage.
That evening, our hearts were warmed up, uplifted by the songs of Mon David and family, nurtured by a very loving Ima, that continues to lit Monching’s hearts, as Ann’s heart to us all, we were all moved to give the Barkada David an enduring standing ovation.
A mother’s heart, now deceased Ima, still welcomed us all through her son and his family! Mabuhay kayong lahat David family! Long live the David family! There is no singing family like yours, kept alive by your circle of love and love for the community!
* * *
Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.” She has been writing for AJ Press for 13 years. She also contributes to Balikbayan magazine. Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. Degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She has been a participant in NVM writing workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico and over 22 national parks in the US, in her pursuit of love for nature and the arts.
I wrote this 2012. He gave me one of the most lucid, organized, inspiring interviews at 88 yo.
Photo taken from Holy Family Artesia Facebook post.
———
Fr. Albert S. Carreon
Resident Priest, Assumption Church
Six decades of being God’s vibrant servant
By Prosy Abarquez- De la Cruz
AJPress
“Give us patience, faith, and charity to minister to those who do the dirty jobs of planting the haciendas, trimming the trees, harvesting [fruits and vegetables] in the hot sun, that we may pass laws honoring their dignity as human beings. Let us not treat them as second-class citizens, but, like every immigrant, who came before from England, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, and all those who came to America, a nation of immigrants, these [undocumented immigrants] are also worthy of their own path to progress. Let us treat them as equals, as our Christian brothers and sisters, with dignity in our words and practice.” – Fr. Albert S. Carreon, 2011.
Fr. Albert S. Carreon is 88 years old. He is vibrant and steadfast in his commitment to the poor, the sick and the immigrant community. He converses fluently in Spanish with parishioners who come to his office.
It is only 9am, but his schedule is on overdrive: a Spanish television interview, a mass, an interview with Asian Journal, a seminar for those seeking sobriety through their faith, and a visit to the sick. He has ministered to the Philippine president, Philippine ambassador and lepers in Tala Leprosarium. He has served as faculty in Manila, Rome and Mexico, a cultural attaché to the embassy, a defender to couples seeking annulment and a negotiator/leader who worked with Senator Harry Reid for immigrant rights.
Yet, he remains close to Hispanics, referring to his special ministry of teaching sobriety by renewing one’s closeness to God.
He believes that the undocumented must be given a legal path to work and be responsible taxpayers, hence he advocates for the bracero program.
“After a track record of obeying US laws for three years, they can get a green card and later, citizenship,” he said. He shared this collective perspective (gathered from his faith community — a 2,000 person-strong rally in Nevada) with Sen. Harry Reid. This is humane public policy, he added, but he does not believe in amnesty for those who should be deported because they committed crimes. He assisted a thousand refugees during the Reagan years to acquire legal papers, particularly those who fled the civil war in El Salvador.
He heard God’s calling in fifth grade, as an altar boy. During that time, he won the Central Meycawayan Singing Contest and a zarzuela director, who watched him sing, cast him in a three-act play, called Batis ng Kaligtasan (Fountain of Salvation). He traveled and performed with the cast, in all the provinces of Luzon.
That public exposure got him a scholarship to Colegio Serafico San Francisco del Monte, where he studied Humanities, Latin and Spanish. He was initiated to the Franciscan order.
When WW II broke on Dec. 8, 1942, the Franciscans disbanded and students were sent home. He stayed in San Carlos Major Seminary in Mandaluyong, and studied logic. Later, he got admitted to the Novitiate of the Dominican Order in Lingayen, Pangasinan.
After the war, he studied philosophy and theology in Hongkong. He was ordained a priest of the Dominican order on Sept. 21, 1951. He got assigned pastor in the UST chapel and he served as the chaplain of North General Hospital. He took his MA degree in UST and wrote “The Metaphysical Analysis of the Documents about Ecclessiastical View of Nationalism,” which he defended successfully to an examination panel of professors and student body. He got a summa cum laude qualification.
He taught forensic medicine in Maryknoll (now Miriam College). He became the chaplain to the family of President Ramon Magsaysay. As the President’s chaplain, he traveled with him and together, they went to Leyte to celebrate the anniversary of the Fall of Leyte. After that, the President headed for Cebu, while Fr. Albert went to Bukidnon. Had he not joined the bishops, he would have had the same fate as President Ramon Magsaysay, who died in a plane crash on his way to Cebu.
He was sent to Rome and studied for a year at Angelicum University. There he met John Paul II, who was in his senior year. In Rome, he was the Ecclesiastical Advisor to Ambassador Jose Delgado in the Vatican. Given that he is fluent in Spanish, he gained access to the Vatican Library and read the Vatican memos which ordered the Spanish clergy in the Philippines to cede control and form a native clergy. The Spaniards did not comply with the memos.
After he studied in Rome, he became Letran’s Dean of High School and Principal in Manila. He was involved in the Filipinization of the Spanish Dominicans, separating the Spaniards from the Filipinos. Monsignor Leonardo Legaspi became its first vicar — the first Filipino rector of UST. This is, perhaps, the first implementation of Rome’s prior edict.
He taught in the Studium Generale of The Dominicans in Mexico and became the Master of Novices. He became a faculty member of the National University of Mexico and the University of Motolinia, and the head of the department of moral and psychiatry department of Clinica Prima Vera, an orthopedic hospital. He took his Ph.D. — majoring in psychology in the Jesuit University of Mexico. His dissertation was “The Passion-Love, according to St. Thomas Aquinas.”
He was chosen as the representative of the Cardinal in Mexico and addressed the Congress of the Christian family movement. Here, he gave a memorable speech: “A good nation is built on a well-educated family in morality, spirituality, fidelity and faith. When parents are educated in these values of morality and spirituality, they pass on these values to their children, and they teach by words and deeds their own examples of harmony, fidelity and faith. If the parents are not educated in morality and spirituality, what values do they transmit to the family? After all, a marriage is a commitment of mature people to build a community of life and love with children. ”
His speech caught the attention of Philippine Ambassador Octavio Maloles, who asked him to succeed Horacio dela Costa (a Jesuit scholar) as the cultural attaché of the Philippine Embassy, a position which Fr. Carreon held for 9 years.
In the seventies, he was assigned to the diocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas. The Bishop assigned him to a new parish, with a base of 300 families. There was no church to hold the mass. He visited all 300 families in their homes to be able to evangelize them. He convinced them to worship at a nearby school. He organized them into a community and asked them to support the building of a new church.
He looked for a terrain that the church could be built on. With the raised funds, he bought 9 acres for $100,000. The community lent him more support, one farmowner donated a barn that was converted to a social hall, with converted floors to use as a skating rink for young teens and for bingo/dances they held.
He secured a loan from the Diocese, and they extended him $274,000. His architect friend designed the church. Fr. Albert became the founding pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist Church in Galveston-Houston, which still stands today. He also founded the Knights of Columbus and the Spanish Cursillo. After 20 years of being the founding parish priest, he was given medical retirement and sought treatment for his ailment in California.
Though he is retired now, he has not slowed down. He works everyday, going where the need is greatest.
As we parted, he gave me his business card and said, “ I like you to be my friend. Remember that our Lord was an immigrant to Egypt.” He then blessed me, and said this prayer for me: “Jesus, please change the hearts of men/women, only you can do it, so they are conscious that they are always loved, not hated.”
I honestly got slower in writing pieces last 2020. Watching my husband was inspiring. I became his “primary editor,” telling him this is excellent, lose no time, submit now. He would and my assessment is spot on, folks love what he wrote. Then, when he is just “dumping words,” without feeling connected to the readers, in his words, “I have to rewrite now as my principal editor rejected my piece.” That made me laugh so hard, as he is our respected family’s editor for decades. I am now into editing friends’ chapters written for their thesis and dissertations, even book chapters. I at times let hubby get involved with the first chapter, or the first read, which receives a severe chopping down that your mental strength is called into question. If you are humble enough, you benefit from his broad, piercing to the core feedback. I am excited to see now my friend, a priest, almost finished. I just edited his last chapter and challenged him to give forth the depth of his spiritual wisdom. I am certain he will, as he did chapters 1 to 5. As for me, I am struggling to write still. I then heard my 6 yo granddaughter say things like,”We never quit, Grandma until we reach the finish line.” Gosh, she’s only six. Back to what I really want to share: my friend, another caring priest, called me months ago wondering why he has not seen my pieces. After 2 phone calls from him, I completed 3 pieces for December 2020. Then, as I was about to say, I am really just focusing on caring for my granddaughter, baking, cooking, chores, here comes another email from my editor who gently gives me another topic to write on. My husband is about to complete his assignment, me I am barely starting to scratch the surface. Here is when you know the Holy Spirit is with you, no one knows what my assignment is, only my husband. Out of the blue, a friend, a teacher in performing arts calls me and teases me with his project – would I be interested? Instead of simply saying no, I share what I am going through. Oh my gosh, he entices me to write again as it is about the topic my editor assigned to me. When three folks say the same thing, I see that as a Trinity message, directly from the Holy Spirit. I must do it! Or, I will not have peace to sleep and enjoy a higher quality of life. See with my priest/friend writing his dissertation, I have learned to prioritize his requests as I stay restless for the day until I do it. Once I focus on it, the edits write itself, I kid you not, that is even done while cooking, washing, and having a date night with my hubby. The Holy Spirit energizes beyond my human capacities! Salamat po Panginoon! I surrender to You – you know in Your God’s time, when it must be done!
Women who are successful exude a sense of confidence in themselves. One of the things such individuals have in common is their ability to harness their own thoughts and behaviors; they bring a great deal of personal intention to their lives. They realize that they’re the directors of their own destinies and therefore take a positive stance as they look forward. They’re happy people-by happy, I’m referring to an experience of contentment, joy or positive well-being. It’s the sense that life is generally good, meaningful and worthwhile.
Cheryl Saban, Ph.D., 2009
Notice the LA Times newspaper in your front doorstep? That when you pick it up, it is contained in a plastic bag? When you pick it up, think of a young Abigail, an immigrant at 4 ½ yo, who sorted the inserts so her mother, brother and sister can bundle them together and put the newspaper inside a plastic bag. Do you know how early Abigail started her day with her family to work? 1am.
LA Times newspaper sorter to Magna Cum Laude at USC
Abigail was 4 ½ when she joined her mother, Lolita, and her two siblings, Michael and Shielah in America. Michael, Shielah and Abigail were first raised by their grandmother and their aunt in the Philippines, until they came to America to join their mother Lolita.
With only a New Yorker relative to lean on, and no support system in Los Angeles, the family of four fended for themselves. Shielah and Michael acted as stand-in mother and father to Abigail, while Lolita worked two jobs.
The family worked together as a unit at the LA Times shortly aftermidnight. Abigail and her siblings formed an efficient, assembly line. Barely three feet tall, Abigail stood on a stool, sorting newspaper inserts, which she handed over to her mom, standing next to her. Not knowing how to handle the work at that young age, Abigail developed eczema from unhealed paper cuts. When her young body got tired, she slept inside the shopping cart, propped next to the assembly table. The cart was her bed, where she was safely tucked in. By 6am, the morning newspaper had been delivered, their sorting shift is done, but Lolita has to go to her day job at an insurance company, while all three children went to school.
When they got home from school, Michael and Shielah looked after Abigail. Michael prepared their meals, while Shielah helped Abigail with her homework, and became Abigail’s emotional support and “stand-in mother.”
When Abigail needed anything, like lunch money or clothes for school, it was her sister that she asked, and her sister, only 10 years older than her, that provided.
“What would you be when you grow up, Abigail?” Shielah asked Abigail.
“I want to be a lawyer.”
At age 5, she was certain who she wants to be. Keep asking her and her answer is: “I want to be a lawyer.”
In high school, she was voted “most likely to succeed, carrying a briefcase.” Inside that briefcase, you will find that Abigail’s mother, sister, and brother packed into it, their own examples of discipline and pursuit of excellence.
Pushed to excel by their mother, all children were expected to bring home the highest grades from school work. She told them, no matter what and no matter what their family circumstances, the children were made to believe “you will be successful if you excel in school.”
One summer, when Abigail was in 7th grade, she brought home one B+. Not good enough for the mom, Abigail was grounded for the summer: no phone, no television and no friends. At 9pm each evening, Abigail dutifully complied and respected the rules. She would even unplug the phone and take the phone equipment to her mother’s bedroom. Even then, Abigail was aware of the concept of compliance to a higher authority.
All three siblings got close, supporting one another, becoming each other’s only avenues of support.
A Hard Worker with an Articulate Voice
Shielah described the family’s trip to New York in 1983 to visit Auntie Rose, who now lives in Las Vegas. They were all riding the subway, when young Abigail blurted out: “That man stinks.” Mom Lolita quickly told Abigail to restrain herself as that was not a nice comment.
Although Abigail grew up to learn empathy, Abigail’s voice could not be suppressed. She used her writing voice and got admitted to USC and even earning a modest scholarship through her mom’s employment. At USC, she graduated magna cum laude. Starting freshman year in college, she worked in the library 20 hours a week and by junior year, she got a second job at the LA Superior Courthouse, working 35 hours a week while going to school full-time. She relished working and earning a paycheck, but “most important for me is the people I work with. I want to work in a family atmosphere.”
She was admitted to the UCLA Law School, one of the nation’s highest ranked law schools, where she did not easily make friends. She candidly shared being uncomfortable at UCLA, a university which had done away with affirmative action, and was less than welcoming and inclusive.
With sons and daughters of rich folks going to law school at that time, she felt out of place. But, determined to be heard, she dressed unconventionally: fishnet stockings, combat boots and of course, she was seen.
She bonded with other Filipinos who were organized under a long-honored tradition of “adobo night potlucks.” She joined La Raza, where she was accepted for who she is. She also joined Asian Pacific Islander Law Student group. She adjusted, and she credits the nurturing she received from other students of color, including African Americans law students, with whom she studied [only five in a class of 300], who welcomed her in “Section 5,” as key to her success in law school.
“When I first got there, my dress was different. I tried to change my attitude to fit others. I had always received good grades throughout my life because I was true to myself. But my first semester in law school, I tried adopting a thinking process that was not my own–I studied in groups and tried studying from others’ outlines., , But it was not my work, it was not me. . In college, I had straight A’s, except for one B. After I received my first semester’s grades in law school, realizing I was below the curve, I cried for two weeks. Once my tears dried, I realized why. I needed to be me and not try to be like anyone else or study like anyone else. By second semester, I raised my grade point average to to a 3.4. And I did it studying the way I had done it the past fifteen years. I regained confidence in myself.” Abigail shared.
With that self-assurance, Abigail and the entire family applied for the citizenship process: “When I took the citizenship exam, the INS agentwas apologetic. As a third year in law school, I was more educated than he was and he felt embarrassed to confirm that I knew answers as to questions like how many stars appeared on the American flag.” Shortly after she graduated from law school, Abigail finally got her citizenship. “I remember holding that U.S. flag and crying so much.” It was a double win for Abigail in 2003, a higher education degree and finally becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen after more than twenty years. She was so proud and felt, “I can be me,” the lawyer she always wanted to be.
Meeting her Mentorand Becoming One
She applied at her first law firm and was thrust into labor, class action, and entertainment law. Before finally landing her first job, she received some help from her mentor Fritz Friedman, who acted like a big brother figure to her.
Fritz made her feel comfortable about “who I am.” She was insecure, but he assured herthat she was a good person who could do great things. He even helped her set up a few job interviews. Abigail said: “He made me believe that I was special, but he was always painfully honest. One day, he called and said honey, I just saw you in a photograph. May I tell you something? You’ve gotten fat. I always want you to be the best you can be in all aspects of your life.” That’s all it took and Abigail lost the extra weight in a matter of few months.
She is now one of the shareholders for the Jaurigue Law Group (a recent promotion to partner at the law firm), where she also acts as the managing counsel.
At the firm, she describes using “encouragement and positive language” for staff to find the best practices in what they are doing, and she holds the record of knowing how to “efficiently handle” paper, given her early exposure at the LA Times. She values the foundational attribute of the firm, a “family atmosphere,” which she nurtures for the staff as well.
38 million folks reside in California, 27% of which are immigrants, with one in four foreign-born. State Bar of California reports 248, 240 are lawyers, 72.83% are active in their practice.
In the Los Angeles’ Filipino-American Community, four are designated Super Lawyers whom I know: Joe Sayas, Paul Estuar, Michael Jaurigue and Abigail Zelenski (formerly Abigail Treanor) as a Super Lawyers Rising Star, given her young age. Three, including Abigail, have served on the Filipino American Library Board. Both Abigail and this writer were recruited to serve on the Board by Fritz Friedman.
Credibility, according to Super Lawyers, is a precious commodity that must be guarded using a rigorous process, peer evaluations and third party research on performances of these attorneys, and a recognition process wherein folks do not pay to play. Super Lawyers is a rating service choosing outstanding lawyers in various practice areas in 12 performance indicators and track record of performance. 2.5% are chosen Super Lawyers Rising Stars (for those who are under 40 years old) and 5% are chosen as Super Lawyers (for those who are over 40) each year, through a selection process, that is now recognized by the U.S. Patent Office.
4 ½ yo immigrant Abigail is now a U.S. citizen and a practicing lawyer, with distinction, shared with an elite 2.5% of the lawyers in California, publicly known as a Super Lawyer Rising Star for the past two years.
Abigail credits that designation to the trust she instills in her clients. “That’s how I get clientsI know that trust and kindness are two of the most important attributes in an attorney. Clients come to me for their legal needs because I always perform my work with those two attributes in mind..”
Her positive self-worth designed her destiny as a Super Lawyer Rising Star! But also, she carried the briefcase, that was packed by her family’s example of hard work, discipline and quest for excellence, along with her emotional anchors in life, Shielah and Michael.
Update:
In the fall of 2018, Abigail Zelenski founded Zelenski Law, PC, a boutique law firm where she services clients on a wide range of employment-related issues. She practices with her husband and partner, David, both of whom have practiced employment law for the past seventeen years. In the summer of 2019, Abigail was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti, and confirmed by City Council, to serve as a Commissioner on the inaugural Civil and Human Rights Commission and began her term in 2020. The newly formed Civil and Human Rights Department was formed to maintain and strengthen Los Angeles’ diversity, equity, and accountability through oversight, outreach, legal remedies, and empowerment. Likewise, in 2020, Abigail was tasked to serve as President-Elect of the Philippine American Bar Association, the largest and oldest local association of Filipino-American lawyers in the United States and will serve as its President in 2021. Abigail continues to volunteer her time in the community, including with Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, where she previously served on its Board. She also makes sure to spend time with her lovely family, David, Zoe, Marty, and George.
