A Mother’s Birthday Greeting for Her Eldest Daughter

Today, on my birthday, my mom sends me a beautiful message that gives me, all the reason to believe that the important things in this world are and will always be about family, friendship and love. I will make sure I will always write about those things.

Dear Pier Angeli,

A greeting as generic as happy birthday to you does not suffice, if the subject of felicitations is someone who out talks, out writes and out reads the giver.

To follow the usual norms, a birthday celebrant is either toasted or roasted, braised or burned; whichever it is, it should be with circumspection because this girl is overly emotional that one word of a tear-jerker might make her shed not just a tear or two but a river.

A river, believe me, because I know her – she is my daughter!

Age is not counted in years but by the happy memories within it, so let’s harp on the string of melodious memories and get on with life fondly and with laughter.

She is as pleasantly loquacious as none other; can hold one enthralled by her anecdotes and storytelling, like that vacay trip to Camiguin – nobody dozed off on their seats lest they miss the thread of the monologue. Just aahs and oohs, nods and shakes between bouts of good laugh.

The moment she picks the phone and calls you up , drop everything, find yourself a comfortable settee, ” dahil talagang mahaba-haba ang kwentuhan! “

And the comments she gives on Facebook are stories in themselves, light and amusing even without the prompter, ha ha ha; might as well change it to face-to-facebook!

And the blogs she writes, substantially are good, well-read, and light to the heart.

Her dad never tires in repeating a story when he accompanied her to enroll in UP.

She led the way, asking around, bursting with unmatched eagerness though both of them were first-timers to that place.

By retelling, her dad aroused the motivation, enthusiasm and inspiration among the younger ones, thus, maybe part of the reasons her siblings strived hard to don their own togas because there was Ate to emulate.

Dad and I, your brothers and sisters, are thankful for your:

-calm and tolerance when extended relatives,hundred-fold removed in affection, bashes you on your own wall as if you, your family owed that person something,anything!

-being a surrogate parent when siblings crossed the seas and skies for that proverbial honey.

-those random calls and messages, wake-up calls, literally in the middle of a cold, cold night, “bakwet na mo kay taas na ang baha – diris Internet!”
And a pathetic addendum, “mga senior na ra ba mo!”

-for giving credits to your family in writings and blogs
for your talents(many),
skills (plenty)
brains (huge)
and beauty (if we go to vote,my vote goes to you!)

If this family is a basketball draft , you are my first pick to lead the first-5 and 3 subs, cause you are the first-born and an ATE in the truest sense of the word!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Pier Angeli!

Love, Mommy

( thank you mom, you know I love you, all the time.)