My mother’s name is Belle. Belle Bondoc.
Belle is commonly and internationally well-known as the French word for beauty, beautiful. It seems unnecessary to belabour the many facets and forms of beauty, and to differentiate the internal and the external, the finite and the infinite, the kind that fades, and the kind that lasts. We all know the kind of beauty that a mother portrays.
Bondoc is a Filipino surname, derived from a common Filipino word, “Bundok”. “Bundok” is Filipino for Mountain. Belle Bondoc. Returning to its French translation? Belle Mont. Beautiful Mountain. Yes, that’s my mother’s name.
Bondoc, is of course, her married name, her husband's name, my father. My father is the strong,silent mountain in this equation. As a child, I've always felt that my mom Belle's grace and beauty was completed by Mr. Bondoc's strong,steadfast, mountain-like silence. Yes, it' a good family. We were one of the lucky ones.
Mountains have been one of the longest standing symbolisms for 2 opposing ideas: obstacle and achievement. Crisis and opportunity. Biblically, even for Jesus, it was the place for reflection, and crucifixion. It is where he escaped to regenerate, to find Himself. It is also where he was brought, to give Himself away. It is no wonder that the Chinese character for crisis and opportunity have been rumoured to be the same(though not without linguists' qualifications).
It seems to be a natural occurrence in this life that achievement only happens after obstacles, and that opportunities arise most during crises. I guess it’s true in more ways than i originally thought, that the brightest stars are bright, because of the beautifully black background of night; that the rewards of dreams are sweeter after the hardest of times.
Sacrifice is my mother’s middle name. No longer literally though :) In my mind, sacrifice has bridged the gap between obstacle and beauty. Climbing a mountain, or building on it, has truly proven difficult. Surprises arose at every stage. Solid, almost impenetrable rock jutted out dauntingly at every dig. Supplies fell short, fears heightened, doubts seeped in. And the only option left most of the time was sacrifice. To surrender even the most basic necessities, just to reach this glorious day of completion.
Mother reminded Father of Beauty.
Father reminded Mother of strength.
Belle and Bondoc. Beautiful Mountain. The beauty found after taming the Mountain, and being tamed by the mountain as well. But not without the middle name of Sacrifice, that she volunteered freely.
It is funny how our Creator gives us answers to our prayers, but usually not in the form we expect. We ask for patience, He gives us an irritating new friend. We ask for money, he takes away our comforts so that we may strive for money. We ask for dream houses, we are challenged by nightmares.
My mother has always wanted to have a house built on rock, symbolically, of course, because it is, again, a biblical symbol for strength, for steadfastness, for silent, formidable wisdom. Her whole life has been an effort to , quote, build on rock. To live beyond the petty things, and to invest in lasting things like friendship, love, friends, family. But the Good Lord has humorously and literally translated her prayers.
At the first powerful thrust of our rented backhoe / breaker / bulldozer, she was immediately confronted by her lifelong dream. ROCK.
These villas, these condominiums, this pool, are all built on rock. They are not products of an easy build. I’m guessing it was God’s way of answering mom’s prayer, to have a life built on rock. Here you are, Belle. And what did you expect? You wanted Beauty on a Mountain, right? What did you think mountains were made of? She was answered daily, repeatedly, incessantly; and the answers were at times harsh, as hard as rock, but as consistent as truth, as recurring as love, as immortal as time.
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Today, as we launch these beautiful, simple and elegant Boracay dwellings, I can’t help but feel proud, not only of the final outcome, but of the process , the principles that were employed to complete it, and the integrity of the foundation on which it was built. Rock, sacrifice, hard work, attention to detail, kindness towards labourers, cooperation between partners - to offer not only the best suites that money can afford, but to exemplify the best and most lasting principles that should be common between business and life.
You can expect nothing but the best from Belle Mont Suites.It was built by a beautiful lady on a difficult mountain. Truly and simply, it is built on rock.
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*FOR PICTURES OF THE FINISHED UNIT/S, go to WWW.BELLEMONTPICTURES.BLOGSPOT.COM
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