This is dedicated to the BEST Mom, my Mom, and to her friends who are moms of my friends, who are the BEST Moms too!
Heart2Heart pays tribute to these group of Moms who we admire so much. Among our group we always attempt to follow our moms tradition because we think it is a great idea, but we never seem to get to do it. So you can imagine how dedicated they all are to be able to keep up their get togethers. Eds and I cannot believe how they do it but we do hope to be like them when we are a bit older.:-)
Thanks to Tita Brenda for helping me out with this! If not for you, this would not have all been documented.
Try to guess the theme in each photo 
HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY!
L’ EMBRACE
by Brenda Tanjutco
It was after high school that two “hijas de familia” suddenly found themselves together in a finishing school in a foreign city that is, Madrid, Spain.Menchu R. Tantoco and Evelyn Genuino were caught in a frenzy of Ola!, Comprendes? Te Digo! Sombra y Sol y Que Barbaridad! It was then that Evelyn became privy to her classmate’s love story with a happy ending. Menchu received daily letters from her beau Eduardo Lopez Jr. with whom she tied the wedding knots at eighteen as soon as she landed in terra firma in Manila. Evelyn’s finishing school stint finished before the term ended. She contracted hepatitis and she discovered how thoughtful and caring was Menchu because she would slide a cookie under the door of the room where she lay confined during her free time.
The fun of being together and discovering the pleasantness of each other’s personality locked them in a friendship that spans decades and has progressed into a wider circle of friends they asked to join them.Evelyn asked her sister-inlaw Mila Serrano Genuino, and Amy Sy who was her bank office mate. Brenda Leuterio Tanjutco joined them after meeting each other in Assumption when Eds, eldest child of Mila, Rica, eldest of Menchu and Michele, Brenda’s one of two daughters, were in high school. It was Mila’s soothing persuasion that drew Brenda into the group, a character trait that serves her well in the world of politics she found herself in , when she married Senator Frank Drilon after fifteen years of being a pristine widow. Along the way,Amy became Mrs.Kenneth Yap, a six footer goodlooker.Cecil Joaquin who weaves in and out of L’Embrace as she changes her home address from New York to Manila,and then Hawaii,can be said to be perfectly constant only in so far as the love of her life, Jun Yasay is concerned.
L’Embrace gather every month and on each of their birthdays,to try out the latest restaurant to open,and to exchange updates on life, love and family. No negative vibes are allowed to penetrate their regaling fun together. Foodies, they all are, so only the subject of gourmet food is allowed to rule the day!
Commonality and similarity in taste and choices gave rise to a decision to select a color,style and mode of attire in each meeting. It is exciting and challenging to scrounge from one’s cabinets and trunks for the wear of the day! On Christmas it is red, as in poinsettia.During Valentine, heart shaped prints and bangles.While shawls and pashmina,mantillas and manton de Manila, pina and Tiboli trinkets,denims, caftans and mumus are the accessories and garb we source to meet the attire required by the hostess of the month.
Meanwhile,Cooky Rojas joined us in the year 2000 and Leny Reyes,a few years after. Therefore, Embrace became L’Embrace, an acronym for the first letter of each member’s name:
L is for Leny Veloso Reyes
E for Evelyn Genuino Gamboa
M for Menchu Tantoco Lopez
Mila Serrano Drilon
Br for Brenda Leuterio Tanjutco
A is for Amy Sy Yap and
C E stand for Cooky Reyes Rojas and Cecile Joaquin Yasay
Happily married or happy with their significant others, these are the life time partner of each member:pretty Leny counts lawyer Nelson Santos as closest to her heart, Smart dresser Evelyn’s ace is her good sense of humor in bringing that slow smile on astute businessman Rey Gamboa’s face. Menchu is “pangga,” an ideal wife with her devotion and caressing attentiveness to hacendero and top corporate honcho,Eduardo “Jun” Lopez Jr. Mila is the consummate partner and ally to the legal giant and senator, Frank Drilon, Brenda is the perfect foil with her vivacity, wit and outgoing nature to the quiet character of communications guru, Menandro “Tanny” Tanjutco. Amy with her winsome personality and enviable figure is the apple of the eye of Poch Robles, retired vice president of Johnson & Johnson.Lovely and demure Cooky counts as her significant other,business man and entrepreneur Oscar Santos and Cecile Yasay matches intelligence,smart and prodigious work ethics with her internationally recognized legal luminary partner,Perfecto “Jun” Yasay.
L’Embrace has lasted for almost three decades of togetherness.It is because mutual understanding and respect, mirthful and joie de’ vivere, supportive and nurturing nature,collective courage and fortitude against all odds,strong and deeply entrenched spiritual valuesand active advocacy and commitment to assist and share in civic and social work for the economically challenged communities and institutions are engrained and firmly established in their character and mindset. It is an awesome feeling to be amongst L’Embrace! It is as if, the angels plucked us to be together to do our part in making this world a better place to live and love in…..!
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