This entry has move to my new domain Beauty over 50
The poignant thoughts of Pia’s entry about her seatmate, Senator Juan Flavier (who has now graduated from the senate) brought back memories of my own dad. Like Pia, I have a soft spot for senior citizens about the same age as my dad would have been today. Whenever I garner an achievement, I often think “dad would have been proud of me”, sometimes wishing I can catch my dad’s beaming smile with a nod of approval.
I am turning 50 years old this week and somehow I am thinking of the day my dad turned 50. My sister and I walked towards the UP shopping center so we could send a special card telegram to dad. Our greeting was:
There are two peculiarities I learned about men the week after I married my boyfriend.
1. He hibernates in his “cave” when he is moody and wants to be alone and
2. He has a hunter instinct. After a hard’s day work, he gazes at the far horizon such as the television .
I couldn’t find the right words for this quirky behavior until I read the book of Dr. Gray, Men Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, the number one best-selling relationship book of the last decade.
–A man often wants solitude when he is thinking about a problem.
A woman should be careful not to bother a man with questions at such a time.
Do you believe that mothers (or parents) know their daughter more than she knows herself? It got me thinking do I really know my daughters well enough that I can advise them on the ideal spouse? I recall my dad often spewing advice like “marry someone who is intelligent “. I even thought my dad was such a snob. My romantic ideals were such that “love will find a way” and “love will prevail”.
So I posed that question to one of my daughters.
Her reply ” I think so , mom. You know me more than I know myself.”
Most married women would agree with me that an ideal husband is one that is a nice, tender, forgiving, passionate, hard-working, honest, peaceful, generous, understanding, pleasant, warm, intelligent, humorous, attentive, compassionate and truthful person. Of course, good looks is a bonus but isn’t the ultimate clincher.
I guess there is no such thing as an ideal husband . I can guide them though.
So I told my daughters,
In memory of Jose Luis (Luijoe) Dado, on his 7th Angel Date
May 27, 2000- May 27, 2007
My son , an hour before he went to heaven
Dear son,
It’s been seven long years since I last cradled you in my arms.
For many years I struggled searching for answers to the question…
Why God?
Why God is it taking so long for the judge to act on the (our) civil case?
Rubbing my eyes, I thought I saw him hold a breakfast tray . He says “it’s my wedding anniversary gift for you, dear” as he plants a kiss on my forehead. I smile and thought “My husband is so sweet , romantic and thoughtful”. Then he lays the tray on my lap.
“thank you dear. that’s really so sweet. Wait. I need to take a photo for posterity”
I eagerly wait…for the coffee.
This entry has now been turned into a blog. Please read Techie Gadgets
Lauren gave me a couple of her [tag]yearbook photos[/tag].
Tomorrow is her [tag]graduation day[/tag]. All week long, she has been wailing…
“I can’t believe I am graduating!” I assure her that we are just as shocked. Shocked that another milestone marks her parent’s lives. Shocked that we are getting older.
The other day, Butch turned to me as he drove the car “can you believe ? our daughter is graduating?”
I can believe it.
Tomorrow is the Commencement Exercise at 4:00 PM for the School of Humanities and School of Social Sciences. She will have a long day. Her day will start with a Baccalaureate Mass at 7:30 AM then a graduation rehearsal at 11:00 AM.
What a disappointment that after paying such a huge sum of tuition averaging 55,000 pesos a semester or a total of more than half a million pesos for Lauren’s college years, we , the parents have to endure the tropical heat at the high school covered courts, the venue of the commencement exercise.
My beautiful daughter is now 21 years old. A few weeks ago, she envisioned her 21st [tag]birthday[/tag] in our new home. It’s one of the many reasons I moved heaven and earth to finish the renovations at the soonest time possible. A 21st birthday celebration in our new home seemed the best [tag]birthday gift[/tag] for Lauren. Much as I love to prepare fancy dishes on special occasions like this, I opted to cook simple fare at Lauren’s request: pancit canton, lasagna and barbecue. And she added “and a birthday cake baked by you.”.
*Groan*
I know what she meant by birthday cake complete with icing and fancy decorations but I thought it’d be too cumbersome. I have yet to get used to my new kitchen. I settled for something less complicated: blueberry cheescake. Even if our home furnishings are still incomplete and boxes are still unpacked, Lauren still wanted a small lunch party with family and close relatives.
And we managed to pull it off.
Half a million pesos or so later, my husband finally gets to visit Ateneo de Manila campus today. Can you imagine that? Sure he has seen the campus through the windshield as he drops Lauren to school but to actually step down and take a stroll…err no. My daughter’s college came up with this “Congratulatory Ceremony” with cocktails in honor of the graduating class of 2007. Lauren says they are around 25 Social Sciences Major in her batch.
Butch and I arrived in separate cars and met up at the Figaro coffee shop in some new building in the campus. We sip coffee and nibble on carrot cake as we reminisce of the past when sometime in 2004, a financial crisis hit us. Thanks to blogging because Lauren was able to pay half of her tuition fees in college (details here). I have to give credit to L for being so frugal and wise. She gives herself so little credit. I am so blessed with a daughter who has a vision of her financial independence. Feeling generous for all the blessings she showered on us , we bought her a Fender Squier guitar and a trip to Singapore and other Asian cities in the next two weeks and a US trip soon after. Squealing with joy then hesitates a bit “we have money for this?”