A very Special Letter to a very Special Mother
In the middle of the jungle of Southern Mindanao lies a small nipa hut where a very poor family happily lives since mid 70's. No electricity, no cars, no descent water system, no malls, no everything except for the vast jungle
where the head of the family hunts anything for our daily needs and survival.
Living in the jungle was very difficult for us. All day long my father had to go out to hunt for food. My mother waited him all day hoping that my father will have something that she can prepare for our late lunch(almost dinner).
While waiting, she looked far away and her eyes showed high hopes that everything will be alright in the future. She extremely loved my father that even during dying moments, she never had second thoughts of giving out what she can give to him. This is the story of my ever loving mother who never gave up in spite of the difficult situation we've been facing for years in this vast mountain ranges of Southern Mindanao.
At the age of three, I already saw the difficult moments of my mom's life. Can you imagine your mother staring at the table with three empty plates while waiting for your father to arrive knowing that there's a big chance that he will be home empty handed?
Many times my father just brought a couple of 'wild bananas' for our dinner. I never heard a single complaint from my mother. She approached my father, gave him a tight hug and a very sweet kiss. This is a typical scene whenever my father arrived into our small nipa house, a scene like romeo and Juliet. At times when we didn't have anything to eat my mother would approach my father and said, "fredo can we gather together with our son and pray?". Three of us were too hungry but my mother told me not to cry whenever there's no food to eat and I was taught to smile and to pray for blessings.
My mother is so special to me, you know why? Every time she leads a prayer and wished to have something to prepare, it always happen. Blessings would just poor into our house. I mean, I am talking like our neighbors(3-kms away) would knock our doors and would give us sweet potatoes, dried beans, corn, and dried fish. That made me think that my mother is very close to God than I do. When things like this happened, my mom would sing and praise the Lord, she sang out loud, and it really made me happy. I know my mother made another miracle.
One afternoon, as I was sitting in front of our house. I wondered how can I alleviate the pains of my mother. I felt like my mother deserves something better. A life where she can wear an elegant dress when she goes outside, a descent pair of bras and undies, etc. I thought of these when I was five years old. (You might ask me if I experienced the life of a kid, honestly NO. I never had a single chance to play, I never had a toy car, I didn't have anything except for my lovely mother. ) My mother approached me and asked "Dong, what are you thinking about?" I replied back, I want to make you happy mama. I want to buy a pair of nice dress for you but I don't have money. We don't even have anything to eat for our lunch today. My mother replied, "son, I am always happy. The smile you see on my face reflects the joy I feel whenever I see you and your father."
I am in tears while writing this article. I am missing my mother so much and I don't know how to continue this article. To all readers, take care of your mom "ALWAYS", love them more than how they loved you! Be thankful that you have a great mother who took care of you even when you were still inside her womb!
This is the Administrator of DiversityHuman.com, a native Filipino with the most lovely mother in the whole world. Happy mothers day ma! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. You're the greatest treasure I have in this world!
