To know Christ is to know ourselves properly

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THE earlier we realize this, the better for us. And that’s simply because Christ is the very pattern of our humanity. How he is should also be how we should be, not of course in terms of our physical appearance and other natural attributes that we have, but rather in terms of the spirit that should animate our whole life. The ideal condition to have is first to know and love Christ so that we may know and love ourselves and others properly. 

This was what St. Augustine precisely said. “Noverim te, noverim me,” Latin for “May I know you (Christ), may I know myself.” It is when we know and love Christ first that we get to know who we really are and ought to be. Christ is not only the pattern of our humanity but also the savior of our damaged humanity.

It is Christ who will tell us what is true and false, right and wrong, moral and immoral. It’s not us who define and determine these things. And if we know Christ first, then we would know how to relate ourselves with the others, how to love them properly the way Christ loves us, as shown, taught and commanded to us by Christ himself. (cfr. Jn 13,34)

Thus, if we really want to truly fall and remain in love with our beloved, if we want our relationships to last long until forever, then we have to base it on our knowledge and love of Christ first. There can be no other way to assure us that our relationships here on earth would last!

Even in our wounded condition here in this life, Christ offers us the way how to handle it such that we can still manage to be with him. That’s because Christ himself said that he is “the way, the truth and the life.” (cfr. Jn 14,6)

Our relation with Christ should not only be in the level of knowledge. We have to live that knowledge to such an extent that we become “another Christ.” We are supposed to be ‘alter Christus,’ the goal and ideal that is meant for us, though we need also to do our part, free beings as are, to achieve that status. 

God, our Creator and Father, wants us to be that way, though he does not impose it on us without our consent that should also be shown with deeds and not just with intentions or words.

We should try our best to have the very sentiments of Christ who has everything that is good and proper to us. When he said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, whoever does not gather with me scatters,” it is quite clear that for us to be ‘alter Christus’ is a necessity. It’s not something optional, though it has to be chosen freely.

With Christ we would have the proper understanding of things. We would have a universal outlook, and we can take on anything that can happen to us, whether good or bad, because Christ himself has assumed everything human including to be like sin even if he himself has not committed any sin. “He (God) made him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor 5,21)

We have to be wary when we rely simply on our common sense, or some powerful philosophy or ideology, because no matter how brilliant these are, they cannot cope with everything that is possible to happen in a man’s life. Only Christ can!

Rufa Mae Quinto says not sad losing P1 million in 'LOL: Philippines'

Jan Milo Severo - Philstar.com

August 29, 2024 | 12:23pm

MANILA, Philippines — Comedienne Rufa Mae Quinto revealed that she didn't feel sad about losing in the reality show “LOL: Last One Laughing Philippines.”

In an interview with reporters, Rufa Mae said that the show became "dirty."

“I didn’t feel bad about losing because I already knew where it was heading. The game was starting to get really dirty, so I opted out," she said.  

"Of course, who wouldn’t want to win P1 million? I could have tried to fight for it, but I decided to let it go," she added. 

The actress said the show became "dirty" when the remaining contestants Chad Kinis, Jerald Napoles, Empoy Marquez, Victor Anastacio and Pepe Herrera started playing the game of cards, kissing each other. 

Rufa said she did not want to "lock lips" with her fellow contestants. The actress has a husband and a child and she did not want them to see her doing it on TV. 

She added that she her brand of comedy is different from her fellow contestants. 

Wen asked what she learned from the show, Rufa Mae said, “Keeping one’s self from laughing is so difficult that you would eventually cry. Also, the secret to not laughing is to keep yourself feeling hungry. You will eventually get angry at everyone around you and won’t feel like laughing at all." 

The comedienne revealed that she ate too much during the lunch break and it made her rush to the toilet in the middle of the competition. 

The first edition of the "LOL: Philippines" also featured Jayson Gainza, Kim Molina, Negi and Tuesday Vargas.

The 10 contestants vied to win the P1 million prize money, which will be won by the one who will be able to stop smiling or laughing at the end of the challenges. Chad Kinis eventually won the show's first season after its six-episode airing last July. 

SC to husbands: Your infidelity, unjustified absence, failure to support are grounds for marriage nullity

BY REY G. PANALIGAN

Aug 29, 2024 01:24 PM

  

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A husband’s “infidelity, failure to give support to his wife and children, and unjustified absence from his family are all indicative that he is not cognizant of the duties and responsibilities of a husband and father.”

Thus, the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that the marriage in 1984 between the husband, Alfredo, and wife, Leonora, should be voided on the ground of psychological incapacity.

The ruling was contained in a decision that was promulgated last April 17 and posted on the SC’s website – sc.judiciary.gov.ph – on Thursday, Aug. 29 under GR No 242363.  It was written by Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen. 

The SC decision granted the petition of Leonora as it reversed the rulings issued by both the Court of Appeals (CA) and the regional trial court (RTC).

Case records show that Alfredo and Leonora separated in 1994 after 10 years of marriage.

When Leonora found that Alfredo married another woman, she filed a case for bigamy against her husband.  But the case was archived because Alfredo could not be located.

Alfredo was a police officer.  He was dismissed from the service because of the bigamy case. 

The records also show that Alfredo married another woman in 2000.

Leonora said that Alfredo abandoned his family and did not provide any financial support.

She underwent a psychological evaluation and the psychologist concluded that Alfredo was psychologically incapacitated to comply with his marital obligations. 

On Dec. 27, 2017, the RTC dismissed the nullity of marriage case filed by Leonora. The trial court ruled that the pieces of evidence presented to prove Alfredo’s subsequent marriages were insufficient.

The RTC said that assuming Alfredo had two subsequent marriages, it also establishes infidelity which is sufficient to prove psychological incapacity.

It also said that there should be other circumstances and situations showing Alfredo's actions and inactions to show his aberrant attitudes and behavioral patterns demonstrating his total personality and his psychological illness.

When Leonora’s motion for reconsideration was denied by the RTC, she appealed before the CA which, in effect, affirmed the trial court’s ruling due to a technicality.  She then elevated her case to the SC.

The SC said:

“Based on the facts, respondent (Alfredo) left his family in 1994 and appears to have contracted marriage several times, with different women. He never gave financial support to his children and only visited them once, for less than an hour. These indicate that respondent did not understand his obligations as a husband and father. 

“To restate, the gravity of respondent's personality disorder is shown by his lack of recognition that he has responsibilities to his wife and children. His personality disorder appears to have been fostered by how he was raised by his family as ‘he was deprived of appropriate parental supervision and guidance’ and ‘his parents' lenient and tolerable attitude encouraged him to become extremely assertive.’  This shows that there is juridical antecedence. His psychological incapacity developed during his formative years and existed prior to his marriage to petitioner (Leonora).

“The incurability of respondent's personality disorder was also explained by the psychologist when he stated in his judicial affidavit that those who are diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder  ‘strongly deny that they are mentally ill, reject the idea of seeking professional help and therefore refuse any form of psychiatric treatment.’

“Accordingly, the Petition is granted. The May 31, 2018 and Oct. 2, 2018 Resolutions of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. SP No. 155807 are reversed and set aside. The marriage of petitioner Leonora… and private respondent Alfredo… is void on the ground of psychological incapacity. So ordered.”

P-pop girl group G22 on collab with SB19, Sandara

 

P-pop girl group G22 on collab with SB19, Sandara

Charmie Joy Pagulong - The Philippine Star 

August 28, 2024 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — P-pop girl group G22 is still in awe following their collaboration with SB19 and Sandara Park for the “Acer Day 2024” event.

The new ambassadors of Acer Philippines, AJ, Alfea, and Jaz of G22, got to share the stage with 2NE1’s Sandara for In or Out and SB19 for Limitless during the “Acer Day 2024” concert held recently. Limitless is the brand’s anthem for the music gig which was composed by SB19’s Pablo and produced by Radkidz.

Dubbed the “Female Alphas of P-pop,” G22 also rendered an intense performance of their own songs, Boomerang, Bang, One Sided Love, and Loka.

“I still feel like I’m dreaming. It was so amazing,” said Jaz in a presscon after the event. “The opportunity to collab with amazing artists and to also have them on stage for our song to perform, we are so grateful and it’s truly a milestone for us.”

Alfea was grateful for the opportunity as well. “This was one of the things that we’ve dreamed of before and we’re very thankful to Acer (for the chance).”

“Actually, it’s still not sinking in for me that we have collaborated with big artists like Sandara and SB19. Grabe kayo, Acer, thank you so much.”

The girls shared that they learned plenty of insights from their team-up with Sandara and SB19.

“We’re not there just for the collaboration, we’re also there to learn. We learned a lot from these artists, such as, work ethic, how they perform, how they are as artists. And as starting artists, it’s huge for us. We learned a lot, actually,” asserted AJ.

Alfea concurred, “Grabe yung feeling when we were on stage. It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is it.’”

AJ recalled that the iconic song In or Out was one of the tracks that she listened to as a child and she never imagined that she would perform it with Sandara one day.

On the other hand, one of the memorable moments they had while recording Limitless was how Pablo taught them some music techniques. “He taught us how to execute the song. We encountered new style for the song Limitless, like rapping, that’s one of the things that we gleaned from Kuya Pablo himself,” recalled Alfea.

For AJ, she couldn’t forget how nervous she was during the recording. “Yung kaba ko because we know how he excelled (in his craft) and we know how he is. He was not just a rapper-singer in the room. He was our producer. So, producer Pablo was something na medyo kinakabahan ako super.”

But Pablo, nonetheless, guided them during the entire recording process. “He wants to make sure that you’re fine with it. You’re comfortable doing it and that’s why thank you so much Kuya Pablo for your patience,” said AJ.

Speaking of music collaborations, Alfea expressed that she wants to work with Ben&Ben and Jaz with Yeng Constantino.

Meanwhile, AJ maintained that they don’t engage in comparisons with other P-pop groups. She explained, “Because we only have one goal. One of (those) is to elevate P-pop and OPM. So, if we have the same goal, let’s elevate ourselves ng sabay-sabay.”

ANYTHING IS ACCEPTABLE

 

By Klaus Döring

There are no rules for behavior, dress, etc. Today, in terms of clothing, almost anything goes, but they recall when the dress code was strictly formal.

If people say 'anything goes', they mean that anything people say or do is considered acceptable, and usually they mean that they do not approve of this. [disapproval] In the 90s, almost anything goes. See full dictionary entry for go.

Well, you see, in olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking, but now, God knows, anything goes.

Good authors too who once knew better words now only use four-letter words writing prose, anything goes.

The world has gone mad today, and good's bad today, and black's white today, and day's night today, when most guys today, that women prize today, are just silly gigolos.

And though I'm not a great romancer, I know that you're bound to answer when I propose, because anything goes.

Originally used in the 19th Century as 'Everything goes', it simply means that one can do whatever one likes, without rules or consequences.

Anything goes? Yes, it seems so: illegal logging, natural disasters, improper disposal of garbage, climate change, melting icebergs, "my neighbor goes on burning rubber and plastic" (GRABE!), poisonous waste products ... !

Guys, when will you stop doing this? Or, are you waiting for the next tsunami and taifun taking away your family and all your belongings and properties?

Since years, I have on my desk a wonderful brochure entitled "Q&A Questions and Answers on YOUR ecosystem" - mentioning and explaining 365 (!) reasons to stand up for Mother Nature. And to be counted as "Barkada ng Kaliksan"! It's really a primer on environment care, produced by the Kinaiyahan Foundation, Inc. and BARog KA likupan DAbaw, Inc. (BARKADA) with a foreword by Elisea G. Guzon, former secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Even having the fumes of burned poison garbage in my nostrils (I usually enjoy writing my columns somewhere outside in my tropical green garden!) I still study this valuable brochure.

Yes, anything goes! It really seems true! Why should one think about the ecosystem and its structures? Or, solar-energy and life on earth and why should it be protected? The effects of global warming can be seen more and more, but deforestation and profits kill the thoughts and deeds about the value of forests and how to protect them!

Fertilizer and its problems are known, but who really cares? Pesticides and their problems are very well known too, but who really cares? Anything goes? How do we handle major consumers of water managing water resources? Are we overusing groundwater?

Climate change, greenhouse-effect, gases that pollute the atmosphere, acid rains, and biodiversity are foreign words to these people, who continue to destroy our globe and provoke the next natural disaster. The above-mentioned brochure, mentioning the Top 30 Environmental Issues in the 21st Century, is not the only written examination or rebuke. I wish and pray for many followers. For our next generations!

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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, Linkedin or X - (Twitter) or visit www.germanexpatinthephiilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com .

Cool Smashers sweep Angels, complete semis cast

BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA-VILLAR

Aug 27, 2024 09:29 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Creamline sucked the fuel dry out of Petro Gazz as it hammered out a vengeful 25-23, 25-19, 25-18 victory on Tuesday night, Aug. 27, to complete the semifinal cast in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

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Creamline sucked the fuel dry out of Petro Gazz as it hammered out a vengeful 25-23, 25-19, 25-18 victory on Tuesday night, Aug. 27, to complete the semifinal cast in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

Creamline books another semifinal stint at the expense of Petro Gazz. (PVL Images)

The multi-titled Cool Smashers displayed their formidable championship form to deny the Angels their bid of extending their championship reign after winning the 2019 and 2022 Reinforced Conference editions.

Erica Staunton delivered the telling blows for Creamline by pumping in 19 points built on 16 kills and three blocks, while Bernadeth Pons provided ample support with 16 points including 15 from attacks. 

The Cool Smashers needed one hour and 33 minutes to dispose of the Angels, firing 51 attacks and posting seven blocks en route to the win that set them up a semis meeting with the Cignal HD Spikers on Thursday, Aug. 29.

It also extended their semis stint in the league from 2017.

Creamline’s victory also silenced the efforts of Wilma Salas and Brooke Van Sickle, who scored 18 points apiece in a losing effort for Petro Gazz.

NewJeans’ label ADOR ousts CEO Min Hee-jin

BY JONATHAN HICAP

Aug 27, 2024 07:20 PM

  

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The board of directors of label ADOR, which manages K-pop girl group NewJeans, has ousted Min Hee-jin from her position as chief executive officer (CEO). 

She was replaced by Ju Young Kim, a human resources management expert at HYBE, and a member of ADOR board of directors. 

Min Hee-jin (HYBE) 

New ADOR CEO Ju Young Kim (ADOR)

NewJeans (X)

In an announcement, ADOR stated, “On August 27 KST, we convened a board meeting during which Ju Young Kim, an in-house director of the label, was appointed as the new CEO of ADOR.” 

“Kim, a human resources expert with extensive experience across various industries, will concentrate on stabilizing and rebuilding the organization,” the label said. 

It added, “Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin will step down from her role but will remain as an in-house director, continuing her responsibility for producing NewJeans.” 

“Additionally, the label will restructure to separate its production from management—a multi-label practice that has been standard across all other HYBE labels but was previously not implemented at ADOR,” it said. 

According to ADOR, “With these personnel and organizational changes, we aim to provide strong support for the continued growth and success of NewJeans.”

Min Hee-jin has been in a legal dispute with Korean entertainment company HYBE, the parent company of ADOR, since April. 

I WANT TO CRY!

I can't stop crying today. I woke up this morning and felt a piercing sadness. Usually crying once, I'd get over it, but I cried over 5 times, one lasting 2 hrs. What the heck is happening to me?

My very good friend called me this morning and told me that.

Although you may feel as if you are crying for "no reason," most episodes of uncontrollable emotion have some sort of underlying cause. You may be experiencing depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition such as bipolar disorder. Hormones and neurological disease are also possible culprits.

Sometimes, all you can do is cry. Holding it in won't reap any benefits.

Changes to your environment, stress level, and physical or mental health could all leave you feeling more emotional than usual. Identifying your triggers can help you be aware of situations that might prompt extra emotions. This insight can help you create a plan to manage your feelings in a healthy way.

You know when your body is insistent upon coughing, but you hold it in until you feel as if you're going to implode? Your face turns red, your chest begins to shake, you involuntarily splutter and end up drawing even more attention to yourself than you would have if you'd let yourself cough in the first place? That's no fun, and neither is suppressing your tears. If they're asking to flow, let them.

Crying is a natural release. You may feel more comfortable doing it without a bunch of people awkwardly staring or hovering over you, asking redundant questions such as “are you okay?”, so give yourself some privacy if needed. Either way, people often feel a tad less heavy after a cry. Let it out, take a breather and, if possible, continue with your day or night.

When it's hours upon hours and you feel unable to stop, you have a different situation altogether.

What's wrong with us? Well, nothing. We are human: we feel things, and sometimes those things hurt. Life is challenging, and it's natural that we'd be reduced to tears by it — hours upon hours of them.

If I find myself crying, I'll let it happen. If it persists for what I feel is too long, i.e. when it grossly interferes with my time, I will aim to do something else. I won't go into this believing that it will make me feel better, or that the crying will stop, but with the intention of changing the situation.

We can't change everything in life, but there is always a chance that we may eventually feel less terrible than we do in the present moment. The situation causing upset may be unchangeable, and we may repeatedly cry about it time and time again, but being able to at least halt hours of tears is something. Dragging ourselves further and further into a pit of misery is, well, completely miserable.

Watch something ridiculous. Cuddle your pet.

Validate yourself. It's natural that you’ll get upset about some things, and it's going to be tough pulling yourself out of a downward spiral when things feel completely hopeless. In such an all-encompassing and overwhelming state, it's a given that other things will keep setting you off. Just, whenever you can, do something else; something that won't harm you further.

What if you cry again soon after, or simply cannot stop? This too is allowed. What you're feeling at the moment is real and valid — nobody can take that away from you.

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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, X -(Twitter) or Linkedin or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com.or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com .

A rare orchid survives on a few tracts of prairie, researchers want to learn its secrets

  

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The western prairie fringed orchid is seen blooming on July 3, 2024, on the Sheyenne National Grassland in North Dakota. The orchid has declined due to loss of its native prairie habitat, among other factors, and is classified as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. (AP)

 

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — On a remote tallgrass prairie in North Dakota, a secretive orchid pokes up from the ground. You'll only find it if you know where to look.

The striking, bright white blooms of the western prairie fringed orchid are elusive to fans who try to catch a glimpse — and as a threatened species protected by the federal Endangered Species Act, it is also a puzzle for researchers trying to learn more about the orchid's reproduction and role in its ecosystem. 

Loss of its native prairie habitat has threatened the orchid. About 60 percent of native orchids in the U.S. and Canada are rapidly disappearing due to climate change, habitat loss and pollinator declines, said Julianne McGuinness, program development coordinator for the North American Orchid Conservation Center. Those showy, flowering plants beloved for their beauty can be an early indicator of decline occurring unnoticed in its environment.
“They’re sort of like the canary in the coal mine for the rest of our ecosystems,” McGuinness said.

Graduate students from North Dakota State University in Fargo are hoping to learn more about the pollinators and reproduction of the western prairie fringed orchid. Their work includes logging the GPS coordinates of orchids at 20 various sites in Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba, Canada, swabbing orchids for tiny amounts of genetic material from insects, and attracting pollinating insects at night with blacklights and sheets.
Years ago, Steve Travers, an associate professor at the university's Department of Biological Sciences, was fascinated to learn about the orchid — “these big, beautiful, two-foot tall, ginormous, gorgeous things that were pollinated at night.”

“I have a hell of a hard time finding it sometimes,” he said. “And when people see it the first time, there's like almost this rapid intake of breath. I mean, it's so big and it's just spectacular.”

The orchid is a unique insight into its nearly vanished ecosystem — the tallgrass prairie — as well as for understanding connectedness with pollinators and other plants, and is a good model system for studying rarity, Travers said. 

The orchid’s only known pollinators are hawkmoths, big moths that are just the right fit and size to reach the orchid's nectar, in a long spur, while also pollinating the plant.

The western prairie fringed orchid is mostly found in reserves, such as the Sheyenne National Grassland in North Dakota and the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. The peak of the orchid's bloom was roughly mid-July.

Populations can be as small as one plant or as large as 500 to 1,000, Travers said. Once located, the researchers log the individual orchids' GPS coordinates to within 10 centimeters (four inches) accuracy so they can return later. Finding the orchid when it isn't flowering is like looking for a brown stick in a big, green field, Travers said.

Graduate student Josie Pickar's work is focused on what affects the orchid's reproductive success, including soil nutrients and pollinator service. She's been traveling to about 20 sites, looking at subsets of orchids, to gather soil samples and moisture content, count flowers, and record plant heights and conditions, as well as monitoring the orchids via trail cameras for what might be eating them. In September, she'll go back and count the orchids' seed capsules, which are extremely hard to find.

To find the orchids, the researchers used rough coordinates from land-management agencies. They've dealt with ticks galore, crossed a beaver dam while wearing waders and seen bear tracks in the process.

“It's been pretty wild,” Pickar said. 

She's put in days of more than 12 hours, visiting about two orchid sites per day that could be up to three hours away — her team donning gear such as long pants, long-sleeve shirts, hats and sometimes mosquito-thwarting head nets. She called the orchid “almost alienlike when you see it out on the prairie.”

Graduate student Trinity Atkins, who was out from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., is looking at the orchid's pollination networks: the pollinators that visit the orchid and what other plants they visit, too.

She swabs the orchids at all her sites, collects moths to see where they are going and uses a molecular technique called eDNA metabarcoding to see which pollinators visited the orchid, she said. Environmental DNA is genetic material left behind from, for instance, a butterfly visiting a flower. Some studies indicate daytime pollinators might be at work, she said.

Studying the orchid's pollinators requires work at all hours of the day.

In the morning, Atkins would swab orchids for eDNA before it degrades. In the afternoon, she would survey for other nearby plants that could be attracting pollinators. And at night, she would be blacklighting at prairie sites, collecting moths and taking measurements.

Travers said the research is important in terms of biodiversity, of which rare species are an integral component for their contributions to their ecosystem.
While orchids are found all over the world, the western prairie fringed orchid is specifically adapted to the tallgrass prairie, he said.

“I kind of find that really interesting that you get all this variety in the genus and then, boom, it comes here and it turns into this huge, nocturnally pollinated thing, and I'd love to know why. Why did that happen? But that's a whole other question,” Travers said. 

Mariah Carey’s mother and sister died on the same day. The singer says her ‘heart is broken’.

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Aug 27, 2024 08:15 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• “My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day,” the Grammy-winning singer said in a statement.

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Mariah Carey (AP) 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mariah Carey’s mother Patricia and sister Alison both died on the same day, the singer said Monday.

“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day,” the Grammy-winning singer said in a statement.

“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed,” the statement continued. “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.” 

The Times Union reported Monday that Alison, who was largely estranged from Carey, died at 63 from complications with her organ function and that she had been in hospice care.

People Magazine first reported the news of their deaths and Carey’s statement.

Patricia was a Juilliard-trained opera singer who Carey credits as an inspiration to her from a young age.

“I would sing little tunes around the house, to my mother’s delight. And she always encouraged me,” she wrote in her 2020 memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.” 

Patricia was previously married to Alfred Roy Carey, the singer’s father. The parents divorced when the “Vision of Love” singer was 3. Carey grew up in Suffolk County on Long Island and lived primarily with her mother after her parents’ divorce. Her father died of cancer in 2002 at age 72.

Carey detailed her complicated relationship with her mother and her sister in her memoir, in which she wrote that she and her mother often clashed, causing her to feel “so much pain and confusion,” and accused her sister of putting her in unsafe situations as a child.

“Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities. It’s never been only black-and-white — it’s been a whole rainbow of emotions,” Carey wrote in the book. “Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment. A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother’s.”

Carey maintained contact with her mother and even recorded a duet of “O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus” for the singer’s second Christmas album in 2010.