No one can ever give the kind of love a mother can give to her children. Starting off with her 9-month sacrifice of carrying you inside her womb. The the awful back pain she felt while in labor. And then having you screamed out of this world. That's an experience no manly jobs could ever top.

I may sound like a gossiper but I would just like to share something. I always ride the LRT at least twice a week (going home on weekends and going back to Manila on a Sunday or a Monday). Going home last week, a mother and his daughter were sitting right across my seat on the other side of the train. The place wasn't that crowded so I had a full view of the two. I didn't really notice them at first until I overheard the mother talking to her daughter in a mad and kind of loud voice -- loud enough that it caught my attention. To make it short, the woman was apparently reprimanding her child for being so hardheaded and for causing her headaches all the time. The woman even asked the kid if she wants to stay with her daddy instead. The child wasn't answering. The next conversations became vague so I just looked at the two once in a while^[1]. The woman looked like she was explaining something when I noticed her child cried. Then I heard her asking the child the same question, the kid embraced her mom, teared even more, and shook her head. The the woman hugged back.

Right then and there, the last time my mom and I had a misunderstanding flashed back through my mind. Days of ignoring each other gone by until one night I realized I couldn't take that set-up anymore. I reached for my mom and hugged her and said sorry. It was so tight that I didn't allow her to let go until she forgives me. That was by far the most unpleasant feeling and I won't ever allow that to happen again. My nanay is my best-est friend.



Meet my Nanay Venus, the goddess of our home (Yes, nay, it's so hard for me to say that but since it's your day, I'll set myself aside and give you the crown. Hahaha. Kidding :D). She looks cranky and snobbish for others. Some say she looks hard to get along with. But like what one cliche says, "Don't judge the book by its cover." My nanay is a very sweet, empathic, friendly, and jolly person. She has a soft heart, she can't resist to help those in need. She's kind of hard at times but she's a business woman so what do you expect? HEHE.

She's one hardworking woman. I remember she told me she only walked to school 'cause she only had twenty cents in her pocket. My lola insisted her to stop studying 'cause she couldn't support her anymore. But my nanay was determined to finish college so she worked for a small sewing business every night and attend school every morning. The fruit of her hard work? She was the only one who got a degree among her 6 siblings.

She has a looooooong patience. Sometimes she has to repeat her command at least 3 times before we obey her. She gets mad but the day won't pass and you'll see her hugging us again.

We come first and she remains humble. She buys stuff for us but she rarely buys for herself. When she buys her clothes she makes sure its cheap. That dress she wears in the picture, who would've thought she only bought that from Divisoria? Haha. I've always thought nanay has a bad taste about fashion and where to buy clothes from.

There are still gazillions of reasons why I am so proud of my mother. You don't want to read all that huh? But above all that, what's great is that she loves her family, unconditionally, with all her heart.

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