The Sweetest Song

Dear Anika,

"Her children show their appreciation and her husband praises her." (Proverbs 31:28)

While we were playing last Saturday evening, you suddenly cried out, "Mama, please take my picture." I thought you just wanted me to take a photo of your make-believe mermaid costume. And then you suddenly belted out the sweetest song. it truly is the best song composed for me and me alone.

I thank you Anika for appreciating me as young as you are. I am so thankful to God that you are growing up to be appreciative of the people who love you. I love you, anak!

Love,

Mama

Spunk, Fearless And Another Kind of Confidence

Dear Anika,


"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. (Psalm 118:8-9)


You like playing flying games with me and your Papa. Your Papa would carry you from your armpit and I would carry your feet, you would then raise your arms forward and say, "Look Mama and Papa, I am flying!" after which the three of us would burst out laughing.

You are not afraid at all when we play these games because you are confident that we will not let you anything happy to you. So when we went to Dahilayan Park in Bukidnon for a zip line adventure, you were not at all afraid to try it. You excitedly wore your helmet and then your harness. I, on the other hand, was so scared for you. I'm so used to these kinds of adventure but having you with me was a different story. I know that if something happens, there is very little that I can do to save you. All I could do then was pray that the odds will be in our favor.

Good thing the odds were in our favor. We had a good landing and the view from up there was fantastic! The only thing that must have bothered you were the raindrops that were landing on your face. You wanted to stop after the first course but despite that you still continued on. Now that to me is spunk.

From the moment you started asserting your independence it was very evident that you are the type of person who when you set your eyes on a goal, you would see to its fulfillment. You didn't back out even when you were afraid. You did not cry even if the rain kept pounding on your face. But more importantly you are still willing to fly all over again.

That is confidence! Your Nanay Neil and Grammy Daisy even said that you are oozing with confidence. People see that in you. People feel it too. I'd like to think that your confidence comes from knowing how much your Papa and I love you. That is good!

But this is what I want you to learn when you're older... The best kind of confidence is the kind of confidence that comes from knowing God and how much He loves you. The kind of confidence that comes from knowing who you are in the eyes of God - that you are His beloved, His chosen and precious one. I hope you will not miss that.

I too showed confidence at a young age. Just like you, I was fearless and I had spunk. But I lost some of it along the way. I lost it when I realized how broken I was. I lost it when everything that holds dear to my heart, were slowly evaporating in my eyes. When I had lost everything, I have gained the Very One thing that I needed the most and that is having God in my life. He brought back the shattered pieces and put it all together and created a new me. I have gained back my confidence but a different one. This is the kind of confidence that does not rely on one's strength but on God's strength. It is the kind of confidence that is eternal.

My dear Anika, I am proud that you are growing up to be a very confident little girl but my hope and prayer is that you will become a confident woman of God in the future.


Love you always and forever,
Mama

I Honor You...

Dear Anika, 


 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) 


Happy birthday Nika! You are now three years old and you continue to amaze me. I'm writing to you today to honor you as this is part of our way of life that we want you to embrace as well in the future. 


First of all I'd like to honor you for being a source of joy to us. You make us so happy and you make us laugh as well. As young as you are, you already possess a very good sense of humor. I wonder where you got it?  I love the sound of your laughter, it is so infectious. Despite your "kakulitan", you never fail to delight us. 

Second, I'd like to honor you for your sweetness. You are very affectionate and you are not afraid to show us your love through your actions. You always surprise me with a kiss on my hand, a peck on my cheek and a big bear hug. When I cry, you always look at me with sympathetic eyes as if you are saying, "Mama it's ok, I am here." I love it when you put your arms around me when we sleep or when you hold my hand when we're watching a movie.  

Third, I'd like to honor your for your teachability. You have a very sharp mind because you are so open to learn new things. You get so excited about new learnings. Last Friday, I was teaching you about constellations and your were jumping up and down whenever I point to you a new formation of stars. Also because of your teachability you are becoming more and more independent. You already know how to put on your clothes and even your shoes. I am so confident that you can survive the world when it's time for you to swim on your own. 

Lastly, I would like to thank you for being my best friend. You are not only my daughter but my best friend as well and I will always be thankful to God for you. You are God's gift to us and you will always be our baby even if you are 40.  


Love you always and forever, 
Mama

Together Forever

Dear Anika,


"But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak." (Isaiah 40:31)


I was pleasantly surprised when you embraced me and said, "We'll be together forever Mama!" That was really sweet of you! You must have said those words from your heart because I was sure it was not something that I coached or conditioned you to say.

How I wish we could be together forever Anika! But I know someday you will grow your wings and you will fly. In a few years you will be making your own decisions and you will be owning them. I will be there for you to listen and to give you advice but in the end it will be your call.

You see I was very blessed to have parents who gave me wings and let me fly. At a young age, your Tito Alex and I were already involved in our family decision-making. When it was time to choose which course to take up in college, we both made the decision based on what we wanted to pursue in life. When it was time to make our career choice, your Mommy Vinia and Daddy Sancho gave us a piece of their minds but ultimately it was our decision to make.

Having been empowered to make a decision at a young age gave me the courage to flap my wings and fly. Oh boy, it wasn't easy! I definitely had fallen many times over but every time I do, I would always have the courage to rise and fly again.

I don't think I could have done it on my own. This is where I give credit where credit is due. I owe it to my parents for trusting me and for loving me unconditionally even if they probably knew that my decisions would bring my downfall. But most of all I owe it all to God for being with me even before I was born. For carefully putting me together so I could be who I am right now. For loving me beyond understanding.

So Anika when it is time for you to fly, remember us your Mama and Papa. We believe in you and we love you no matter what. But most of all remember that you have a God who loves you beyond understanding and He is what binds us together forever.


Love,
Mama

The Art of Falling

Dear Anika,


"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 2: 22-23)


You and I were watching a skateboarding tournament on TV last week. It was interesting because in your eyes you thought they were doing more than skateboarding, to you they were flying. You were asking me to fly with you. And when I did carry you in a flying position, you were ecstatic! The sparkle in your eyes and the sound of your laughter were enough to melt my heart. 

But that is not the point why I am writing you this letter tonight. While you were amazed at the way those men were flying, I was struck by the way they were falling. Those guys were messing up heat after heat. But lo and behold no one had a broken bone or a broken teeth. After each fall, they'd just shake their heads and skateboard their way back to the starting point. I realized they were all following a pattern when they fall. They all landed on the body part that was most padded. They also seem to defy gravity when they fall by keeping a controlled falling motion rather than landing with full force. It was as if they were gliding through the air and not falling.


As I was watching them glide through their fall, I thought about how we often fall into sin and how we have difficulty rising up and walking our way back to God.


There are two ways that you can do when you fall. First is you can wallow in misery, not learn the lesson and blame yourself, God and the people around you. Or second you can humble yourself and ask God for forgiveness. 


If you choose the first one, you can end up like Judas who claimed his own life because he can't get over what he had done to Jesus. If you choose the second one, you can end up like Peter who became a martyr and the first vicar of the Catholic Church.


How I wish I can protect you forever but I know eventually I will have to let you go and you have to make your own decisions. I pray that you will always make the right one but if you don't, I pray that you will always choose the path that Peter chose because God will always love you no matter what you do. Even if you are unfaithful, God will always be faithful. 


I have had my fair share of falling...sometimes really hard, sometimes really deep but every time I fall, I find the courage and the strength to rise up and walk my way back into God's loving arms.


The art of falling is not an art that you master. The art of falling is a gift. Because when you fall, God will always be there faithfully running towards you with His arms open wide uttering words of love and forgiveness.


Love,
Mama

Closing A Sale

Dear Anika,


"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9)

I am in sales and as most sales people know, it is about the numbers. You need at least 25 prospects to close one sale. Working at home makes it even harder. Ideally, you need a quiet room so you can concentrate on making your sales pitch. But that is not at all possible when you have a super hyper almost three year old daughter like you. My only chance of ever completing 20 to 25 sales calls per day is when you sleep. Unfortunately your idea of sleep at this time is sleeping only at night. I have tried to wrestle with you, sweet-talk with you, I tried every trick I could find in my bag just to make you sleep. But to no avail!


I have finally given up on hitting my target sales calls. With my giving up, there goes my commission! But I did not give up without a fight. I offered this fight to my God. I said, "Lord doing sales is your gift to me but if I cannot do it because my daughter needs me, please help me. You promised that when You called on me to do this, You will help me. And so dear God, I am unable, please enable."


And God in His infinite goodness knows the desire of my heart. He knows how hard I work and He knows how I would love to spend every moment with you my darling little daughter. Despite not hitting my target calls, He closed a sale for me today. Forget the fact that it was the easiest sale I have ever made. I called and introduced my company. I sent an email and prayed that it will bear fruit. I followed up and I got it. All in a record of one week! That to me is Grace! 


I have given up but I did not lose hope. I have given up and turned it over to God and God delivered.


That is His promise!


Love,
Mama