Nonfiction/Memoir
Date Published: 10-22-2022
Midpoint: A Memoir is an immigrant woman’s story of perseverance and
building a legacy future generations can be proud of.
Patricia Angeles is at the midpoint of the average human lifespan. Decades
of experience, mistakes, love, and loss have led her to contemplate what
anyone might when they’ve lived half their life. “What kind of
legacy am I leaving behind? What do I want my friends and family to remember
after I’m gone? What are the biggest life lessons I can impart while
I’m still here?”
Through this collection of personal stories, Patricia attempts to assess
her answers to these questions, and perhaps encourage others to do the same.
Spanning from her childhood in Manila to her immigration and life in Los
Angeles, these stories touch on her youth, her acclimation to American
culture, her remarkable career in the world of banking, her thoughts on
motherhood, the important people who made her who she is today, and major
events that forever changed the trajectory of her life.
A raw, honest, poignant, and at times funny read, Patricia aims to inspire
her readers to pursue happiness against all odds and to not settle for a
life of mediocrity. Through the power of story, this book ultimately asks:
What are we but the accumulation of our experiences?
EXCERPT
Part 1:
Manila
1984 –2005
As the last of the American Independence Day fireworks fizzled out during the summer of ‘84, a different type of celebration was happening at the maternity ward of Torrance Memorial Hospital: my birth as a tiny five-pound baby.
Remarkably small, I was told that my dad was initially terrified to pick me up and carry me in his arms. I was their first child after all, and having me on the cusp of their teenage years meant that as new and inexperienced parents, there was a huge learning curve to traverse.
Shortly after my birth, my parents decided to move back home to Manila. There were some business dealings to tend to and they agreed it would be best to raise me there.
I was the first grandchild, and everyone in the family took turns caring for me as my parents mapped out their future. My mom would eventually decide to go back to school to finish her last year of college, but my dad headed straight for the workforce, relinquish-ing his remaining years in optometry school.
When I was a few weeks old, my mom noticed that I was crying excessively despite being fed and lulled to sleep. I would wake up in the middle of the night, wailing nonstop for no reason. Helpless, my parents took me to my pediatrician, who performed extensive tests until I was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.
There was a small yet dangerously positioned hole in my heart. They were advised that the only treatment was by way of surgery. My paternal grandmother, or Lollie, as I would later call her, was a devout Christian.
Instinctively, she turned to her faith, the one thing she knew she could count on. She mercilessly stormed the heavens with prayers, believing in her heart that it would make a difference.
During a checkup leading to the already scheduled surgery, the doctors, in sheer disbelief, confirmed that the hole had closed by itself. Without any material medical explanation, it was nothing short of a miracle.
This became my favorite bedtime story as I was growing up, trumping every fable and fairy tale my parents ever read to me.
About the Author
Patricia Angeles is a tenured and award-winning banking professional with
an MBA degree in international studies from the University of La Verne. She
grew up in Manila, Philippines and moved to sunny Southern California in
2005. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, and three
daughters. When not writing or reading, she enjoys spending time with her
family and traveling with them to new places.
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