A mother's greatest achievement

Kids can say the most wonderful things! And as a mother I feel so fulfilled and accomplished when my own flesh and blood just hug me and show me how much I am appreciated. More than anything else, my greatest achievement, I may say, are my 3 jewels. Just today my youngest son suddenly hugged and kissed me and told me "Mom, hinding hindi kita ipagpapalit" roughly translated this would mean something like "I will never ever want anyone else but you." Sure your partner, lover, boyfriend, or husband can tell you the same thing and such would make you tingle all over. But our children... they give more meaning to this phrase than anyone else can!

Post Mother's Day greeting

Nope I am not guilty as I have greeted all the mother's in the whole world through my facebook account, in most languages, so don't point your fingers as if I have missed blogging about this hahaha...although yeah...i did missed blogging about Mother's day. For what it is worth for all my blogger mother friends out there Belated Happy Mother's day!

Mothers are quaint, I should say, in the most adoring, dominating, resourceful, mind-boggling, loving, selfless, "drama queen" way. I could go on and on adding more adjectives ... but it's a long list... a never-ending list. Before we became mothers, we were women who had our own lives, who could go anywhere we wish, do anything we want pursuing our own dreams and ambitions. As women we know what we wanted, when we wanted and how to get what we want. But as mothers, we have always placed our children's best interest before our own. Because when we became mothers we have just fallen in love with that tiny being we carried inside our womb for 9 months. And that is when we decided to give up our own dreams to make way for the dreams of our children, to be nurturing mothers, to be by our children's side at all times. So, as mothers it hurts us so much when our children forget how we cared, nurtured, fed, clothed and educated them even if such were beyond our means. The Filipinos are very clanish people, most have extended families, others even have double extended families. Generally, Filipino mothers enjoy the comforts of their own home even to their last breath. Hence, it is very sad to see mothers who are in the nursing home, facing their twilight years alone and forgotten by their very own children.

Mothers are not perfect beings, but we cannot continue blaming our mothers for our failures as this is the reason why we were given the power of choice. We cannot continue blaming them for the wrong choice of partner, for our career failures, for our own frailties, for our broken dreams. If only children would love or even learn to love their mothers ... beyond their imperfections, the world would probably be a better place to live.

The Love of a Mother

Last Saturday I was able to watch an episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK). MMK features true to life stories of their letter senders and I could say that this was one of their episodes that literally broke my heart. The letter is from an OFW who was strained to borrow money to be able to work in Italy so that she could support her 4 children. The story started with how she was forced into an early marriage by her parents when she was only 15 years old. And because of this grew resenting her married life and her children. Until her husband decided to leave her for another woman. By this time her children especially the eldest had nothing but deep resentment for her. Years passed and she realised how fast her children has grown and she noticed further how much she is affected by them already...she has found renewed love for her children (finally!). She was then given the chance to work in Italy was sent back to the Philippines because of a lawsuit filed against her for estafa. To cut to the chase, she was imprisoned with a lifeterm. Her eldest daughter had no choice but become a gro to feed her younger siblings and because of a spat she had with her mother got married in no time and left her younger siblings. The imprisoned mother made sure her children lived near her prison cell. And during this time her children lived on food she would throw from her prison window outside which would send her kids running to get the food and make sure it does not scatter on the ground. The food came from leftover food by other prisoners including her ration. Up to this time she is still imprisoned but her children have decided to live it through with her. 

My friends, I am a wife to a devoted and loving husband and a mother to 3 beautiful children, and through God's Mercy and Love my husband and I have been able to go through life's hurdles together hard as it may seem. I can never imagine a life as difficult as this mother's.  Our President is also a woman and a mother but thinking back it irks me how she could let loose a criminal (who happens to be a brother of a political ally) who killed 2 teenagers in cold blood and let people like this Filipina OFW suffer a lifetime inside the prison just because of an unpaid debt. Where is justice? Why does justice seem to be elusive to the poor masses and effortless to the rich and friends of...?