An Ode To My Mommy

For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. (2 Timothy 1:5)

This photo was taken in 1978 at the studio of Tito Leslie, family friend and photographer.

Dear Anika,

As we celebrate Mother's Day tomorrow, I want to remind you of who Mommy Vinia is to us and what she means to me. Here is my letter to my mommy. I hope that your grandmother, Mommy Vinia will inspire you to be a better woman whose heart is after God and to have a sincere faith in following God because this is the kind of life that your Mommy Vinia lived out.

With Much Love,

Mama

Dear Mommy,

There is not a day that I don't think about you. If only I could have one more day with you, I would move mountains just to be with you.

Oh how I wish that you are one phone call away. That I could press your number on my speed dial and voila, the two of us would be talking again. Had you not left us this is probably how our conversation would go...

I am dancing again, Mommy. I am going to have my first recital after 25 years and this time I will share the stage with my daughter, Anika. You would have been so proud of me. By this time all your friends in Pacita Complex would have known that I am pursuing my passion and living my dream. I hope this time my skirt would not fall off. And then you would laugh because you knew how embarassing that was for me. I could hear the sound of your laughter reverberating from my phone's earpiece.

But my reality is you are gone. I would not be able to talk to you anymore. I would not be able to hear your laughter anymore. I would not be able to see you from the stage.

Mom, thank you for all your sacrifices. I knew what you endured to keep our family together. You were truly the light of our home.

You were our strength. When everything else failed, we could all go home to you knowing that you would bring comfort to us.

You were our lifeline to God. Your prayers for my conversion were answered because you prayed unceasingly for me. I know you are not done praying for all of us especially now that all you do is sing praises and lift our prayers to God.

You were always the life of the party. Your personality was so endearing to many. Your charm have made a lasting impression to every person you met.

You had the most delicious Kare-kare, Sisig among many of your food specialties. You would always remind me that the most important ingredient of any recipe is love. No matter how simple the dish is, it maybe Adobong Bicol or Bicol Express, it always gave me a taste of heaven.

You had the most generous heart. You always shared your blessings to others. Even when others put you down and even when you had nothing, you helped other people.

You were the most loving person I ever knew. You loved us unconditionally. You never gave up on us. You would always put our needs and even our wants first.

You are selfless, gracious and so loving.

I love you, Mommy! Happy mothers' day!

Loving you always,

Badette

Rosevale Got Talent!

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

You are a manager of the gifts God has given to you. They may be great or small in your eyes, but they matter to God. - Rick Warren

Dear Anika,

I still cannot believe we won the Rosevale family talent show! When you said you wanted to join, winning was farthest from my mind. I only said yes to you because I wanted you to discover your talent and not be afraid to use it.

To the tune of Let It Go (Frozen); photo by Ms Liezl Virtudazo

I would like to share what I have learned from you in that week of intense practice.

1. Hard work + fun. We practiced every night, we practiced in the car, we practiced at every opportunity to get better at our presentation. We practiced because we wanted to perform really well. But most importantly, we practiced because we had fun doing it together.

2. Courage. I really admire your courage to perform. You are naturally shy and yet you grab every opportunity to perform. At a young age, you know your talents and you are not afraid to experiment and discover.

3. Confidence. You were so confident that we could do a beautiful performance. There were times that I wanted to quit because I couldn't memorize the steps. But you encouraged me, telling me every night, "You can do it, Mama!"

Honestly, when I was dancing, I didn't want to stop anymore. I felt so at home on the dance floor. You re-ignited in me my passion for dancing. So thank you Anika for the opportunity to perform with you. Thank you for reminding me that dancing is my sweet spot. Thank you for not giving up even when I so wanted to.

Here is the video of our special performance. Such experience is priceless and added a million joys to my love tank.

Love,
Mama

A True Love's Kiss

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:16-18)

Dear Anika,

After watching the movie Frozen you asked, "Mama, why did the true love's kiss make Ana better and why did Elsa able to unfreeze winter after that?" While thinking about an appropriate response, a Bible verse came to my mind. "Perfect love drives out fear."

Anna saves Elsa. (All rights belong to Disney)

Ana gave up her life for Elsa because she loves her. It is the same with Jesus who gave His life for us because He loves us. Olaf was spot on when he said, "Love will thaw a frozen heart." In the same way, love can heal a broken heart and love can release you from bondage and give you freedom. That is perfect love. That is the love of God.

Jesus' crown and the Cross. (Owner of photo is unknown)

"So what is a true love's kiss, Mama?"

A true love's kiss is God's perfect love for you and me.

Love,

Mama

Cancer

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Dear Anika,

These are difficult times for our family (Roa-Quiblat side). Your Tita Angie passed away recently and we are still mourning her loss. She was a woman who loved unconditionally and I really enjoyed my conversations with her. And Grandmama (Q's grandmother, Roa side) is fighting for her life because the tumor in her lungs has grown bigger, now the size of a man's fist. 

Let me share with you my thoughts about one of my last conversations with Grandmama.

It's hard to see your loved ones suffer. Every time I see Grandmama now, I couldn't help but cry. She looks so frail now grasping for every breath. Morphine has helped ease the pain but the lines on her face show how her body has suffered from the pain that these cancer cells bring. I have friends whose parent died from cancer and I have seen them suffer too. So it is official; I hate cancer or any dreaded disease for that matter. Unfortunately dreaded diseases have been part of many families' lives and no matter how much I hate it, it is not going anywhere so I might as well see it from a different perspective.

I was with Grandmama on one Sunday afternoon last November and I am blessed to have witnessed how strong her faith is. For a woman who has been suffering for a year now, these are her words, "Badette, I still believe that God will heal me. If He doesn't I am ready." I was stunned when I heard her say it. You don't normally hear these words from someone who is suffering. Words that are full of hope. I believe it is the kind of hope that comes from her ability to love unconditionally. She took care of everybody and loved everybody from her husband to her children down to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She had this wistful look on her face as she recounted to me how she took care of all her loved ones.

When it was time for me to pray with her, I couldn't help but cry because of how great her love is for her family. I couldn't help but cry because her thoughts and prayers are for her family. I couldn't help but cry because she remains faithful and hopeful despite her suffering.

"I admire your strength Mama. It comes from your confidence in God and knowing that you have done all you can to love your family."

Before I left, I told Grandmama to never give up. She said, "I will never give up I love my family too much."

Cancer causes suffering but it does bring out the best in people - hope, faith and love.

With Much Love,

Mama