Mom is 86!

"It's surprising I reached this age," Mom said after I greeted her a happy birthday. She peered at the candle on her birthday cake and told me she can't believe she outlived her siblings. She was a sickly child and had a heart condition. Our neighbors always tell me that they admire my Mom for being strong for her age. They still see her watering her plants every morning. 

One of the reasons I decided to come home is because of my Mom. All of us were abroad and it was the easiest for me to move back home. And today we got to celebrate her 86th birthday at our new home. We ate lunch together with my Kuya and his family via VC. It's really different when you're physically together. We were only able to send her flowers and food for almost two years. Now I can just go see her anytime, get hugs and bottomless kwento. 

Mom at 16.

My Mom is the strongest person I know in the whole wide universe. What powers her is her faith and garden. She always does something in her garden everyday. She waters it, prunes plants or gives instructions to a gardener to do heavy lift trimming. She never wants to part from it. Her garden loves her back because it's built on love. I've been trying out her daily workout of watering plants. I get so wiped out after, I normally have to rest after haha. Mom's lungs are probably stronger than mine. 

Whenever I feel down I think of my Mom and how she manages to pull through anything. I can't imagine how she was able to take care of all her siblings and Dad when they got sick. She also took care of me after my heart surgery (she was 78 at that time). All those years when she was sickly as a child and living through the war must have made her really resilient. 

So one of my goals is just to keep Mom happy. Sister Lirio told me to be good at taking care of her. I am drawing power from that and it's helping me improve everyday as well. Maybe in a week or two watering our pocket garden wouldn't be a heavy workout for me anymore, haha. 

As my Mom always tells me, "Life is just like that, it's a cycle. People would just come and go. Just live through it. " 

I love you Mom! I thank God everyday because you're my Mom. Happy birthday! 

#Home36 #NewG210 #Xmas18 #StayHome #BeKind