JUST THE THREE OF US

A FAMILY MEMOIR

by Narciso S. Albarracin Jr. M.D.

Formats

Softcover

$34.95

E-Book

$3.99

Hardcover

$44.95

Softcover

$34.95

Book Details

Language : English

Publication Date : 1/12/2023

Format : Softcover

Dimensions : 6x9

Page Count : 550

ISBN : 9781664287174

Format : E-Book

Dimensions : N/A

Page Count : 550

ISBN : 9781664287167

Format : Hardcover

Dimensions : 6x9

Page Count : 550

ISBN : 9781664287181

About the Book

The book is about the author’s childhood during World War 2, his pursuit of a medical vocation, establishing a career in America, raising a family, and facing the challenges of the enterprise of life made possible by, in addition to his beloved wife, a third partner. The book includes accounts of life in an empty nest, milestone celebrations, tribulations, and divine interventions called Godwinks. It is a response to the primal need for humans to leave an account of their presence in this planet.

About the Author

The author is a retired pathologist, an immigrant from the Philippines, a husband, father to three children, grandfather to 9, and great grandfather to three boys. Blessed by a life that extends to his octogenarian decade, he writes and addresses this book to close family to preserve and share the life and times of his passing generation.

Customer Reviews

The title, “ Just the Three of Us” along with the cover showing only two persons, immediately begs the question, “who is the third?” The subtitle, “A Memoir,” is an understatement— the book features multiple autobiographies— the author’s, from birth to the octogenarian years; briefly, those of his wife (oral surgeon, travel agent); parents (educators and more); children and grandchildren (all making high marks in various endeavors). I admire Dr. Albarracin for his scholarship; for his total devotion to family, especially to the love of his life; for mastering the piano mainly for self-enjoyment but also for entertaining others; and above all, for his abiding faith in God. The five hundred pages, enlivened by many photographs, need not intimidate—the book is easy to read; the author writes as he speaks. I delight in following his story, the joy of growing up with a loving and close-knit family, the bittersweet experiences of a child during WWII, the challenges and triumphs of a student in the Philippines, then as a foreign medical graduate in training and later as a career and accomplished pathologist in America. The author has lived a good, godly long life. Currently he cares for a wife with dementia. In the book, he tells his story very well.

Cosme R. Cagas
Engaging, enthralling, captivating—these words only hint at what awaits one who picks up Dr. Narciso S. Albarracin’s Just the Three of Us: A Memoir. With an eye to detail, a good memory and the disciplined notes of a physician, Dr. Al, as he is so often called, shares his love for his parents, siblings and other relatives back home in the Philippines, as well as those who over time made the transition to the U.S.: his children and their spouses; grandchildren, and, of course but not least, his dear wife, Terri. I first met Dr. Al twenty-five or so years ago though our involvement in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, a movement of grace not only in the Catholic Church but in many dimensions of the Body of Christ. As a leader in the Filipino Renewal (Alliance of Filipino Catholic Charismatic Prayer Communities). and Editor of their Newsletter, he would often call to discuss this or that aspect of the Renewal and out faith. So, it was a great blessing when, through mutual friends, my wife and I met Dr. Al and Terri while in Florida one year. The bonds of Christian love and fellowship were strong from the beginning. Thus when Dr. Al asked me to read his book, I was humbled. The journey of his life has taken him to many places in the U.S. and Canada, and to a number of medical positions and academic appointments for which he has received a number of honors and commendations. Long before his Memoir, his writing was honed by his many academic papers he wrote. He writes extensively of his and Terri’s travels to Florida, Italy, the Holy Land and most certainly the Philippines, many of which involved his three children then late, as time rolled on, their spouses Reading A Memoir was very healing for me as one who grew up in a much less united family, and I am grateful to him for sharing his “memories” with us. I was caught up in his pain and struggle and love for Terri since her stroke, while expressed in several places and permeates the book. He writes poignantly in the Introduction, “I first met Chit (Terri) in 1961; that’s when my life took on new meaning and new direction. When we got married in 1963, I whispered to the Lord, with the psalmist’s faith, ‘Lord Jesus, I don’t know what I am doing. I feel like I am about to jump off a diving board into a deep pool, and I do not know how to swim.’…Terri and I ventured into life together, not just the two of us, but the three of us.” (p4). He concludes even more poignantly, “So—there’s my life to thank God for. And Terri’s too. But not just the two of us. There is a third partner—Jesus himself! ...Yes, there’s the three of us and with Him at the center, he navigates our journey through the enterprise of life.” (p432). I will be eternally grateful not only for this written journey but even more so of coming to know in person Dr. Al and the love of his life, Terri! For a non-Filipino, the abundance of Filipino names and phrases was, at times, a challenge so I am also grateful for Dr. Al’s frequent translations and the Glossary that guides the reader so carefully. Whether it is gugma (used among Cebuanos), or mahal (used among Tagalogs), love permeates the book sapagkat ang Diyos ay pag-ibig – because God is Love. Walter Matthews Former Executive Director and current Consultant for the National Service Committee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (now dba Pentecost Today USA). Member of CHARIS National Service of Communion USA (CNSC USA)

Walter Matthews

Add Review

Name

Email

Ratings

Please Enter Rating

Comments

Please Verify