A Fond Remembrance

One morning at the office, talk had been about surgeries and confinement.  An officemate remarked that he loved being confined because it gave him a valid reason for not going to school or being absent from the office.  I expressed the same view, citing the "pasalubongs" as my reason, then followed it up by narrating that I’ve only been confined once.  And then it hit me, that time when I was confined, Mama was the first person I saw when I woke up.  In fact I couldn’t remember anybody else being there for the whole duration of my stay.  I can’t exactly remember how many days I stayed at the hospital, but those days had been fun, with me and Mama playing with the flash cards Auntie Linda sent me.  Basic mathematical operations, and then pictures of things, Mama was a very good teacher.  The thimble, that one I found hard to name. 

Mama…how can I ever forget such a woman?  If there ever was a perfect mother, she’d be that person.  Of course almost every child thinks that way about their moms, but I’m sure everyone who knew my mom would agree with me that she was such a very nice person.  The type who would give anything and do anything for her friends, relatives, her family.  What I’d give to see her again, to live those times when I was with her - the trips to Tacloban, those afternoon strolls to Imelda Park, the early morning jogs, the "pasalubongs" when I was sick, visits to Bulu-an, and the those times when she would accompany me on school events.  But as it is, one of life's reality is either you’ll miss or you’ll get missed.  

At times, I wish that I wasn’t living in a dynamic world, that things just stay the same, that people didn’t have to die, or that people need not leave the ones they love.  There are also times when I wish that everyone had the power to turn back time, or if not, live the lives they once lived.  But wish is really all that we can do.     
 

photo courtesy of Aldwin Eugenio