The continuous and heavy shower of rain which started at 2:00 a.m. yesterday made me sleepless. At 5:15 a.m. I stood up from my bed and walk towards the family room. From the south-side window, I saw several chicks hiding under the feathers of their mothers. While some ducks, turkeys and roosters huddle in a cage.
Feeling cold, I went downstairs towards the kitchen for a cup of hot herbal tea. While drinking, a quick reflection of the wet chicks and the mother hens blurred my vision. Momentarily, some vivid recollections when I was a boy hang up in my mind.
I’m the second to the eldest amongst 6 children; four boys and two girls.
At age 6, I was in the kindergarten as “saling pusa” with my eldest brother. I remember Mom dressing me up, bring us to the nursery school, wait till the class is over and returned us home.
During my high school, Mom would advice me to stay away from groups with bad influence. She’s very happy whenever I received commendable awards in academic, physical education and sports.
At an early age, Mom taught us to save centavos using small decorative bamboo rod. Yearly, my Dad will prepare and decorate these bamboo rods in January and by the 2nd week of December, we will open and count how much savings we have. It was fun and excitement especially when our parents will tell us what we can buy from the savings, for Christmas and New Year!
I was 9 when Mom taught me how to prepare and cook rice, onion soup, ensaladang kamatis, fried milk fish and calamansi juice. That was the beginning to other recipes my Mom love to cook for the family.
When my younger sister and Dad passed away in separate occasions, Mom was very much affected but she showed to us her strength to move on. She taught us not to stop setting up new goals nor abandon a dream because she gave us life to live in a beautiful world full of hope from God.
Throughout my employment years, locally and abroad, Mom constantly communicates with me through snail mail, email, and telephone calls. Her influence to me in public relations, business writing, communications and management helped me a lot in my personal, family and business tasks.
My Mom’s beautiful gifts to me are plentiful. I can only sum up these in one phrase to date: “She’s my super Mom, always with an open arm whenever I have troubles of all kinds - for pacification, cheer and love”.
Stimulated to start the morning farm drills, I felt blissfully good that God gave me a great and healthy Mother. Last May 12, 2016, she celebrated her 94th birthday physically, mentally & spiritually very well & fit. “Mom, I wish you happier and healthier birthdays to come. I love you.”
