A Letter for Sachie

I'm reposting this cute and funny letter written by my husband Dex for Cha-cha's class recollection sometime last year, from Che-chie's Multiply.

FYI, Dex, my Totoy, is MAHAL to Cha-cha, Oyel and Miggy. Here it goes:

Hi Cha. Hulaan mo kung sino ko. Rhymes with AHAL. O, gets mo na?

Recollection mo na pala. Ang bilis talaga ng panahon. Parang kelan lang e hindi mo man lang siguro mai-spell ang katagang "Recollection of schizophrenic Czechoslovakians", pero tingnan mo naman ngayon, kahit paatras kaya mo na. Napakalayo na talaga ng narating mo. Dati-rati ay hindi ka ganong nakakalayo dahil natutumba kang mag-isa nang walang dahilan, ewan ba kung bakit. Ang nakakapagtaka pa e pumipirmi ka dun sa pagkakatumba mo, di ka talaga gumagalaw.

Nagkanya-kanyang teorya pa kami kung bakit bigla ka na lang nabubuwal. Nariyang pinaglalaruan ka daw ng mga engkanto na akala e ikaw yung nawawala nilang prinsesa. O baka nao-off balance ka lang talaga sa bilis ng mga dumadaang eroplano.
Marami-raming tumba pa ang lumipas at nariyan ka na, nagreready na para sa graduation mo at dumadaan na nga sa recollection. Magandang pagkakataon ang ibinigay sa inyo sa pagkakaroon ng recollection na yan. Kung nakinig kang maigi kay Mrs. Castro kanina (o kung sino man yung dapat na nagpaliwanag), ang recollection ay oras para suriin mong maigi ang sarili mo, para malaman mo kung saan ka nagkulang, tsaka kung ano ang kailangan mong gawin para mapunan yung mga pagkukulang mo.

Unahin mo nang balikan kung naging mabuting anak ka ba sa mommy't daddy mo. Masunurin ka ba sa kanila? Iginagalang mo ba sila? Ows? Dumadating talaga sa buhay ng bawat anak na nakakaramdam siya ng pagkainis sa mga magulang nya. Pero ang tunay na mabuting anak ay yung naipapairal ang paggalang at pagmamahal kahit ano pa mang inis ang nararamdaman nya. Maaaring tinatamad ka kapag inuutusan nila, o naiinis kapag pinapangaralan ka, pero obligasyon mo bilang mabuting anak na labanan ang katamaran at pagkainis at gawin ang gusto nila.

Mommy: Chacha tigilan mo na yang kaka-internet at mag-aral ka na!
Chacha: Mommy nilalabanan ko!
Mommy: Yung alin?
Chacha: Yung katamaran at pagkainis!
Mommy: Ha??
Chacha: Mommy I love you!

I-extend mo rin yung paggalang sa iba pang nakatatanda sa iyo, dahil lahat sila ay walang ibang gusto kundi yung mapabuti ka. Mga nakatatandang nasa school man o nasa looban, lahat sila entitled sa paggalang mo, at maniwala ka tataas ang tingin nila sayo at igagalang ka dahil don. Kahit korny pakinggan, sikapin mong maging mabuting Kristyano kahit nasa anong sitwasyon ka, ge-greydan ka man dun o hindi, may nakatingin man o wala. Tularan mo yung pagiging magpapakumbaba ni Jesus. Minsan, nung bata pa sya, sinabihan sya nung classmate nyang si Jeffrey, "Jesus, top 1 ka na naman daw a!". Ngumingingiti lang sya pag ganon, nagthathank-you, at ina-acknowledge na kay God galing ang lahat. Ganun din ang gawin mo Cha.

Alam mo na rin siguro by now na pinagkalooban ka ni God ng mga pambihirang kakayahan. Sana'y hindi mo i-take for granted yung mga talent na binigay sayo, at sa halip ay pagyamanin mo ng husto. Sayang naman, diba, kung halimbawa imbis na maging superhero ay pinili na lang ni Superman maghalo ng semento maghapon, o kaya maghasa ng nipper. Pilitin mong abutin yung pinakamakakaya ng potential mo, para wala kang panghinayangan balang araw dahil hindi mo lang sinubukan.

Wala akong kaduda-duda na balang araw ay may babaeng titingalain ang mga tao at sasabihin ko sa kanilang, "A yang si President Chacha Reyes? Pamangkin ko yan no! Ano ka ba?" In the meantime, panatilihin mo yung pagiging mabait at masayahing bata na nakakapagpaligaya saming lahat, at wag na wag mong kalimutan na may malaki at matipunong Mahal na palaging nandito para sayo.
God bless you Cha.
Love,Mahal

Bigger than the Biggest Heart

YES, I was actually given an award!

The biggest heart award. Awww... (applause) Thank you n@wie sis, Anna. I don't know what I have done to deserve this. *taps chest twice and pauses* Now I'm forced to make my first blog entry ever, 'cos you're supposed to pass this on to someone, and I'm taking the chance, to say my piece.

Well, quite frankly, it must really take one big heart to:

• ...be a stay-at-home-mom and juggle it with freelance work and some cooking.
• ...restrain yourself from hitting a husband, who, upon seeing you after going home from work, would burst into laughter because your hair is all messed up, face pale and sweating, and panting from running your tiny household.
• ...be able to bear a helper, who insists that my Tatay's cancer is in Stage 5, sleeps early, wakes up late and takes 2 hours of siesta in the morning and 3 to 4 more hours in the afternoon.
• ...not let go of a dog who eats his own shit, would rather starve to death than eat dog pellets for our convenience, befriends anyone who comes near our gate and would probably just lick a burglar's empty hand.

So am I saying I deserve this biggest heart award?
Umm... let's just say, aherm, I take great pride in saying that I survive not-so-ordinary domestic situations like these. But you see, none of you ever hear the whining and the complaining.
The truth is if it takes one big heart to live the life I'm living, it takes a bigger heart to make it easy for me.

I am therefore passing on this award to my husband. Yes, the one who laughs at me when I look wrecked, and say the sweetest things after. The one who patiently listens to all my complaints, laugh at some, but addresses them all after. The one who I know will always be beside me in this journey we're both new at. The one who I'll share laughter with, for the rest of my life. The one with the biggest heart of all, my husband.

And thank you, of course, to all my sponsors. *waves*