Lola Sarah was also well known for her strong will and feistiness and in the first chapter of the book, she lets the readers know that she already displayed a strong will and an independent streak at such a young age. Her sense of freedom came intrinsically to her as she writes, “My nature prompted me to move freely, to climb trees, to run, jump, and even skip. . . an expression of being me, of being free, of being myself.” She fiercely defended her freedom even as she tried to please her father, Balbino Kabigting, a Philippine government official, whom she acknowledges as a powerful influence from her childhood to adulthood. She credits him for many things, but especially for granting her the “freedom to express myself in many words and action” despite his stern ways.

Lola Sarah looks back at her childhood years with special fondness, recalling those “as the most enjoyable, most carefree times in my life.” Her maturity would soon come calling in the form of her collegiate years at University of the Philippines and a romance.  She met and fell in love with Porfirio “Ping” Joaquin, a well known Jazz Pianist and bandleader who had stints abroad, and on ocean liners. For a time Lolo Ping was awarded the title of “Jazz Pianist of the Year” in the Philippine Jazz music circles. But Lola’s parents objected to her marrying Lolo Ping from the start because of his job as a jazz musician which was  considered not an acceptable profession at the time. Besides, he had no college degree. Their marriage though, would be quite a rollercoaster ride, filled with much love but alas, later, it was torn by Lolo Ping’s infidelities.

Lola’s whole life was about the stage, and this she recounts in rich detail. She began acting and directing plays during her University of the Philippine years where she majored in speech and drama. After her college graduation, she formed the venerated Barangay Theater Guild with her friends, the late Bert Avellana and wife Daisy Hontiveros-Avellana. In the early ‘70s, she also formed the Manila Theater Guild where she put up mostly Spanish plays. While Lola is best known  for directing, she also acted in many plays. Her best remembered is the iconic role of Pepang Marasigan in Nick Joaquin’s “Portrait Of An Artist As  Filipino” which she originated in 1951 when this much loved drama was first presented by Barangay Theater Guild at a gala performance at Aurora Gardens in the Walled City of Intramuros. She would play the imperious Pepang countless time over the years especially in the 1965 movie version directed by Avellana who also directed the stage version. Lola further honed her theater skills when she was a Fulbright scholar at Catholic University, Washington D.C. from 1961-63.

Along the way, Lola Sarah cites important figures who had largely influenced her life. Her former professors and mentors at UP, the late Carlos P. Romulo and Pura Santillian-Castrence who helped shape her academic life. She recalls being ecstatic upon meeting her longtime idol, Helen Hayes, the First Lady of American Theater, who was able to visit the Philippine twice.

She had highly regarded Ms. Hayes’ work on stage and finally meeting her was one she would not forget.  Her memorable social encounters with the late former President John F. Kennedy and the beloved Jackie Kennedy-Onassis when she was a guest at the White House is one of the highlights of the book.

In the epilogue to “Of Laughter And Tears,” my dad Fred de la Rosa is eloquent in telling what Sarah K. Joaquin meant to so many people. Whether as a dynamic stage and teaching authority, or a compassionate human being, “Sarah was a pillar of strength and support.”  She also “demonstrated that age cannot wither the spirit or make enthusiasm stale.”

Interested parties wanting to attend the book launch, may call me  703- 863-1466 or e-mail: dino.62 @hotmail.com.