My day...


I am 24 today!

I don’t really have anything in mind to write about today. I mean, every time I try to think of something decent to write, my mind goes totally academic and all (Yeah right, I wish!). This is because I have my mind totally bent on finishing all the things I need to write and finish this semester! I do not want to have anymore INCs, for God’s sake! Once and for all, I think I have learned my lesson!:)

So, what I’m going to do instead is post on this blog something (part of a long and very personal ‘essay’) that I wrote for the very person who means the whole world to me… MY MOM! I wrote this on her 58th birthday. And, today, as I celebrate my 24th birthday, I think it is best that I honor the person responsible for my coming into this world. She is, after all, the person I most look up to and I most want to be like.

To the very best mom in the whole world, this is for you…


***********


December 12, 2003

December 12… Today is the birthday of a very important and special person… Fifty-eight wonderful years ago, in 1945, a cute, little baby girl was born. She was the first daughter of her parents and was truly a gift from God Almighty. She was named Potre. This little girl came to be one of the brainiest among her peers and contemporaries. She made clear the expressions “small, but terrible” and “girl power”. She was loved and respected by everyone around her. She grew up to be one of the most respected, well-loved, most intelligent women in her place… one of the few women to have made a difference… the first Meranao woman CPA… the best wife a man could have and wish for… the best mother a child can have and ask for… MY MOTHER!!!

My mother is the strongest person I know. What with all the pains, heartaches, disappointments, frustrations, and ‘sufferings’ she has gone through, she has remained steadfast and untainted. She makes the world a better place by showering love and that beautiful, beautiful smile that she always flashes all around her. She is not perfect, for no one is perfect, but she truly is close to being perfect. She’s beautiful, hard-working, intelligent, honest, wise, endowed with leadership, and good-hearted. She really is the best!

She wants me to be the best in the world and I do, too (who doesn’t?). She wants me to dream big and follow all my dreams to reality. She wants me to go to places she never had the chance to go to. And, the last thing I want in this world is to fail her. She gives me hope, strength and courage. She is my life and my soul. Every time I’d feel like giving up, I’d only have to think and reflect on my mother for a few minutes and I realize that I just cannot, must not give up. I definitely cannot fail her. It’s the only thing I can give her after everything that she’s given me (us).

I believe that now is the time for me to start giving her back, even in the littlest way, the things that she gave up for me (us). I should work as hard as I could if only to make her smile and proudly say, “My baby… that is my daughter who makes me truly happy.” There is nothing in this world that I want more than to give my mother and father happiness and pride. To give them back the love that they have given us and do anything and everything for them are my most important missions in life. My success will be theirs. All my work and achievement were, are and will forever be for them. This is the only way I know how to repay them. Not that I have to repay them or anything, but still, I know and feel that I owe them everything… I owe them my life… especially my mother.

For her, I will be the best that I can be… For her, I will strive until I reach the top… For her, I will do my best in every endeavor I undertake. I will summon the stars and moon and reach out to them until I could touch them with my fingers and present them to the world and to my mother most importantly. For her, I will live, love and enjoy this world. For her, I will be the most beautiful person. For her, I will give all. And, at the end of it all, I shall smile, with my mother, to and at the world and sing in my loudest, merriest voice. I do everything and live for her mainly… then for the rest of my family and my people… and then, for myself.

Insha-Allah!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Small Voice from Marawi

Image
Salamun 'alaykum. I am back again! This is my nth attempt to revive this blog. I hope this time I can stick to my plan and maybe post an entry once a month at the very least. Not very ambitious, but still no promises here. Oh, well.  Anyway, as my comeback entry, I'm posting on this blog the speech I read during the Philippine PEN 2017 Congress -- PEN at 60: Reaffirming the Writer's Commitment to Truth and Freedom , held at the University of Santo Tomas on November 21-22, 2017, where, together with Dr. Maimona Magayoong, Prof. Sorhaila Latip-Yusoph, and Prof. German Gervacio , I sat on the Literary Session named Tales from the War Zone: Voices of Marawi . Here's the full text of my speech: It was an ordinary, sunny MSU afternoon. I was at my office waiting for my students to submit their final requirements as that day was the deadline and, while waiting, I was listening to the songs from the musical, Grease , and I was reading random stuff on Twitter. I came
Read more

Ramadhan Kareem...

Yesterday was the first day of Ramadhan . As always, the coming of the Holy Month gave me and continues to give me a certain feeling of contentment and happiness. I always feel that Ramadhan really cleanses my whole being. I don't really know how I can explain this, but Ramadhan has never failed to give me peace of mind. This may be the effect of not thinking any "bad thought" while fasting. It makes me feel good and at peace with the world. I've said this time and again, and I'll say it once more, Ramadhan really brings out the best in me. It just feels so great. I guess I am speaking for every Muslim when I say that I am just so happy that I'm still here to enjoy Ramadhan and that I'm still strong enough to perform the obligatory sacrifice and abstinence during this month. If there's one thing that I really long for right now, it's home. I really miss home. I miss praying with my family, friends and the whole community at the King F
Read more

People don't know that...

Image
...I like guns! I'm not the type who wants to go to war or the type who approves shooting of people or anything, but I have always had this fascination with guns. And, I like them long and big! I love target shooting. I've never really done it in real target shooting ranges, but I've done shooting cans and what-have-yous in private areas/locations. I also enjoy target shooting games at arcades and fairs. There was even this one time my friend and I went to the try-outs for the UP Rifle and Pistol Team just so we could do some shooting. It was really fun and they couldn't believe when I told them that I've actually done some target shooting using real guns back home. One time, my friends and I went to this area near the lake ( Lanao ) for some fun, and one of us had a gun with him, so we started looking for cans to shoot. There weren't any other people around so it was alright. When it was my turn, as I pulled the trigger, the bullet casing flew straight
Read more

Pamamaalam at Pasasalamat sa Apo...

Image
Paalam is a very sad word. It's the Tagalog word for "goodbye" and, for some reason, I find it waaay sadder than the latter. Two nights ago, the Apo Hiking Society , my all-time favorite Filipino singing group, staged the last of their series of farewell concerts after they decided to disband after 41 years of making great music. The final concert was aptly entitled Paalam nAPO! I wasn't at the concert, not even in the one that was held in Cagayan de Oro. I had to settle for the pictures and videos posted on Facebook and Twitter . I really wanted to watch at least one concert in the series, but time and circumstance weren't on my side. I could've gone to CdO for the concert there, but I had work. I would've wanted to go to Manila and watch the final concert at the Music Museum , but, well, I didn't have that much money. The thing is, now that I think about it, it was just as well because it would've been too painful for me. It would've been t
Read more

Musicals, Musicals, Musicals and Me

Image
Last weekend, I was in Manila with my good friend/younger brother, Tomas . We went to see the musicals, Fun Home and Wicked . Personally, this is something I have always dreamed of. My Bucket List is full of Broadway and West End musicals I’d love to see before I die. My love for musicals started when I was very young. I wasn’t even in Kindergarten yet when I was introduced to the musicals- Annie , The Sound of Music , and The King and I . They were my favorites when I was small. I knew all the songs from those musicals. While my brothers loved to watch Tom and Jerry and other cartoons, I preferred musicals. Fast forward to a few years later, we were already residing in MSU Campus, I was 9 years old and in 4 th Grade, when my dad rented The Making of Miss Saigon . This was during the era of the Betamax and we used to go down to Iligan to rent films from Po Video. When I saw that documentary, I was instantly drawn to Miss Saigon and I couldn’t watch it enough. I remember that my
Read more