A Beauty Queen in the Family
by Oliver Carlos
It’s just recently that I’ve known that we had a beauty queen in the family. My father’s sister, Rosa Castillo, was crowned Miss Arellano University in the early 1950s. Auntie Rosa was born in 1935. She was the only girl among 6 siblings. Thus, it’s rightful to call her “The Only Rose Among the Thorns” and “The Rose of Tarlac.” She’s tall, smart, gorgeous, and out-spoken. These are qualities indeed of a beauty queen.
Like most beauty queens, Rosa also had a celebrity for her special someone. My uncle Dominador “Domeng” Faustino,Jr. was the star center of the Arellano basketball team in the early 1950s. Later, he transferred to Los Banos, Laguna where he took up BS Forestry in UP. He became a basketball legend in that university too. Domeng and Rosa later got married and were blessed with tall, smart, good-looking children and grandchildren.
I am grateful to God for the union of Auntie Rosa and Uncle Domeng because in a way, it was instrumental for bringing my Dad to UPLB. That marriage started the influx of foresters in the Castillo family. Rosa’s younger siblings got interested in the field of forestry because they looked up to their Kuya Domeng as an inspirational icon. Domeng, became a Forestry professor in UP.
After graduating from high school, the Castillo boys left Tarlac one after the other to follow their bayaw’s footsteps in Laguna. The first one of Rosa’s younger brothers to enroll in BS Forestry was Uncle Cenon, followed by Uncle Tommy, and then my Dad. On hindsight, had not for Auntie Rosa and Uncle Domeng, my Dad wouldn’t be in Los Banos where he met my Mom. But that’s another love story that deserves a separate blog.
Going back to the topic of having a beauty queen in the family, I believe this is something our clan can be proud of. This is something that shouldn’t get erased or forgotten in history. Winning an award or being given a title and position are big blessings. Some people say these things happen because we were born for that occasion.
In the Bible, we read about the life of Queen Esther. She’s a beauty queen too. Yes, there were beauty pageants already in the ancient times. King Xerxes of the Persian Empire held such a contest. The grand winner became his wife.
During that time, Persia held a very large empire consisting of 127 provinces, stretching from India to Egypt. The contestants of the pageant came from all over the empire. The winner was a Jew, an Israelite, her name was Esther.
One day, trouble came, as an enemy of the Jews plotted a genocide of God’s people. Being the Emperor’s wife, Esther was in a perfect position to stop the massacre. Her relative Mordecai pointed this out to her, that she was born for that occasion. He said in Esther 4:14 (NIV):
“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
After heeding Mordecai’s words of wisdom, Esther led the Jews to fast and pray for her. Then she approached King Xerxes, exposed the evil plot, and was able to save an entire nation!
One bizarre thing about the Book of Esther is that the word “God” or “Lord” wasn’t mentioned in its entirety. This teaches us that we may not see God, but he is actively working in our lives, placing us in situations and circumstances that we are made for and are perfect for.
These occasions may not be as big and historical as in Esther’s case, but still they are equally important in God’s plan. It may be being placed in a position of power and influence in your office or community, or it can be fleeting moments of being a blessing to someone in need. Today, let us be sensitive to God’s promptings. Let us sense his unseen hand as he brings us to bless others “for such as time like this.” Remember that you, and no one else, is perfect for that moment of giving a timely help.
