The Most Beautiful Woman in the World

My mom is the most beautiful woman in the whole world. An opinion I most likely share with her number one fan, my dad. And alot of other people. I have always dreamed that when I grew up, I’d be just like her. When she was young she had many a men try to woo her. She grew up in a very strict household and was chaperoned to parties even with my dad on the week before their wedding. Even when she was married and had kids, many men continued to flirt with her at the supermarket or in my school.

My mom was perfection. She kept everything in order, knew what medicines would make us well no matter what ailed us. She kept secrets and gave us the best advices in our lifetimes. My dad’s friends and their wives always made extra effort to be friends with her though she rarely kept favorites. She did however, keep a very small circle of people she comfortably calls her close friends. My aunts and uncles call her Ditse, a term of endearment for the second eldest girl in a family. They loved her company and enjoyed her cooking. Whenever she traveled to the US, they would organize a mini-reunion to be with her, often in San Francisco. I think I have been treated fairly well as the favorite niece because of their respect for her. She was always the center of our universe.

At a time when most women went to work, I grew up knowing that if I came home at any time, my mom would be there. When I was in 5th Grade I remember her attempting to return to work but after a year giving up because she felt she was needed more at home. Although Gigi and I cook, we will never be able to master my mom’s kare-kare, adobo, mechado and murcon.

I got my sense of humor from my mother. When Francis, Gigi and I had our bickering when we were kids she often shocked us to silence by giving each of us knives and telling us to settle the issue silently. She taught me to laugh at myself and never ever to take myself seriously. Even when I was young she and I would have our conversations about any topic – tv shows, boys and school and even in high school when I was rebelling, I don’t think I had a friend amongst my peers to whom I considered my confidante but my mom. Actually, even my friends from high school and college went to my mom to seek advice. She had taught me, Gigi and Nicole the love for books and the best written novels would often change hands between us until now. A copy of ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ traveled with me from NY last Christmas, was read by Nicole, traveled to Seattle and Puerto Rico with Gigi and is now returning to Manila for my mom to read.

Since Nicole is staying with me in New York, my parents have also taken advantage of not having to be readily available for her to vacation in Baguio City. When they returned she complained to me that it feels different to be vacationing without the rest of us. I thought that it drove them mad to have Gigi and I to be constantly doing military logistics for our outings on activities, meal planning and other vacation details. Suddenly my parents find themselves on their own and they miss the noise, the mess we make and maybe even the ‘bickerings’. For Mother’s Day this year, Francis, Gigi and I have booked her and my dad for an extended weekend at a resort. Francis will drive them to the resort with Laila and Gabrielle and treat them first to a special ‘Mother’s Day’ lunch before leaving them there to rest until Tuesday. On the phone yesterday as we were finalizing arrangements for their vacation (yes, we also do this long distance now – ‘don’t forget to bring your blood pressure monitor, etc….’) she proudly noted that they were having the best time of their life with all the spoiling they were getting from their brood. In her words, “ang sarap naman ng buhay naming ng Tatay mo…”.

Rightfully and deservingly so for the mother who has dedicated all her life to caring for her husband, three kids and Nicole. The mom who made sure that there was warm meals to keep us from getting hungry everyday, that maids were supervised to make sure our clothes were laundered and ironed, our rooms kept clean but our privacy ensured, that phone calls we missed were noted down, scraped knees kissed. A mom who assures us that we were better, smarter and greater than anyone else. The mom who told that us that we could be all we wanted to be if only we put on hearts into it. And probably the biggest influence in our lives to be accomplished as we are.

My mom now is 66 years old. She still stands and walks gracefully despite being bothered with mild arthritis. She is more relaxed now with just my dad to take care of and Nicole in the weekends. She still cooks the meals at home, supervises the maids in the other tasks and directs the activities at home. And she still has the most beautiful smile in the world. Her comforting advices continue to fuel my spirit when I hit rough times. She remains her kids' number one fan.

I have seen much more of the world than she has. I have met a lot of people from many walks of life, from many cultures and I have had many other women take care of me since I have been away from home. But to me, she remains the most beautiful woman in the whole world. Not just with the way her face lights up with a smile but with the way she wears her heart on her sleeve, the way she shares her love to all who comes close to her. It is a beauty that is unmatched.

To my mom, a very Happy Mother’s Day.

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