Grateful

The recent heartbreaking development in a friend's life and the tragedy in Haiti, has made me stop a moment to count my blessings.

And so I thank God for:

- a roof above our heads despite the staggering monthly costs

- food on the table and a husband who loves to cook

- a choice of clean and hot/cold water right in the comfort of our kitchen/bathroom sinks, grateful that we never have to walk far and lug heavy bottles of water.

-the seemingly endless pile of laundry that needs to be folded and ironed for it means I have clothes to cover unsightly fats and scars. Pano nalang if I live in a place and time where everybody needs to wear g-strings? Everyday would have been torture! :P

-family and friends scattered all over the world, specially my papa, mama and sisters
-the love of a husband who has kept his commitment to our marriage despite and inspite of all the hardships…hmn..actually he doesn't have much of a choice :-)

-the adoration of two little boys who think I am the best mum in the world. One even thinks I am the best chef and has given my cooking a perfect 10 rating! :-)

-for a thankless job that continues to pay the bills

-for priceless hugs, kisses and i-love-you's from my 3 boys, concrete reminders that the best things in life are free…uhmn, if you don't count the cost of diapers and milk :)

I don't rejoice in the misfortune of others but somehow, it never fails to remind me that although I have difficult days, I actually have everything that matters.

One Year

Yesterday marked our first anniversary in Australia and we had a simple celebration at home with A preparing steamed tilapia with mayo dip and creamy macaroni soup. The latter, something for the official first day of winter. For dessert, we had fresh avocado topped with honey, a luxury at $2 a piece. Geez! That could already buy a sackful of avocados in my hometown. And we didn't even have to buy because we had our own tree back home. Haay!

But there was really so much to celebrate about, a little spending above budget wouldn't hurt. It's been a year full of blessings and adventures for our family. It hasn't been easy, though, but we are more than pleased with how this has strengthened our marriage and made us better parents. And to top it off, we now have an adorable little Aussie at home, an endless source of joy, a concrete reminder that the best things in life are free.

Reminiscing...

Funny how some songs can transport us back to certain times in our life. In church last Sunday, the song Morning Has Broken was sung during mass. The same song was played during our JS Prom in college-don’t ask me why because I don’t understand it’s relevance to a prom until now. :P

I remember my excitement then since it was my first prom-we didn’t have that in high school. And, I had a funny feeling that I’d get to dance with my crush. :P No, I am not referring to A. Although I had a serious crush with him in college, he was crashed out from the list a few days before the prom because he started courting my friend. Haha! It was actually another guy who was dropping hints that he was interested in courting me.

That night, I was part of the prom committee and I was glad things were turning out well. I was all smiles during the actual junior-senior hand over ceremony as my crush was supposed to be my partner. But by a fateful turn of events, I was suddenly face to face with A onstage. The next thing I knew, he was handing me a red rose and the official photographer was telling us to stay closer together. Then there was the blinding flash of the camera and then I remember A holding my hand and leading me down the stage.

I did get to dance with my crush before the night ended. And A asked me to dance, too. But it was A who walked me and friends home.

Our love story didn’t kick off that night, though. It took 5 years of friendship before we realized that we actually loved each other.

Last Sunday, I asked A if he remembered our prom night and his answer was “siempre!” But he still insists I wasn’t his crush then. Grrrr! :)

I still have our JS prom photo, now safely tucked in our wedding album- a reminder that we cannot really tell what the future holds for us. As it turns out, that little photo would be the first of thousands more to be taken of us together. For A though, it was a reminder of how bad his hair was back in college. :)