September 24,2022
10pm
My 53rd birthday
celebration started at 7am of
yesterday.
A devotional time with my siblings online was engaged
into with a bit of tentativeness. Internet was unstable for one or two, but,
the hiccups didn’t hinder us from going through with it.
Sibling #2 was able to join us post devotion.
If she didn’t remind me, I would have totally mixed it up
with another date and time. Praise God I was able to get her notice in just the
nick of time.
An online appointment at 5pm with Elvira Acapulco of Usana was just another breath of
fresh air that I needed to boost my waning spirits and body, tired from the
years of faking it, till I make it.
Authenticity is not cheap, nor is it a welcome commodity
in an otherwise unforgiving world of unrealistic expectations and dashed hopes.
Hubby came home with some Chinese take out from our
favorite North Garden in University Crescent. Was not inclined to cook since I am still recovering from a flu bout that got me down for 3 days last week.
Our pumpkins, care of some wonderful friends, had to wait a bit more for the 4 ideas 2nd born and I had in mind for it.
The full stomach and tiredness was enough for me to be sluggish yet wide awake at 9pm.
I suggested to the girls that we watch the Home Sweet
Home Alone movie latest version.
Before half way mark of the movie, I got a call from my dear sister in
the community announcing a “ something” to be dropped off. She lives nearby and we get to receive a lot
of stuff from her every now and then for
the past two years, especially food stuff that not only warms the belly, but
the heart as well more importantly.
She reminds me so much of my sibling #5.
As we were almost done with the call, hubby receives a call from another sister in
the prayer community…sounds like they were going to drop off something as well.
This got me into autopilot
mode and tried to put order and pick up the otherwise Friday frazzled
look of the house, that forgot to be a magazine cover home.
In 10 minutes, I was ushering Cely and Albert from the 2nd
day of Autumn 11pm night cold- crisp air in my thin red blouse into our downstairs lobby, to the
elevator, into our “eclectic,
practically furnished “ apartment of two years and 5 months.
Then, after they had hot tea drinks in hand, Teena, Marlon and Marie came bearing more
gifts of food and a lovely white with pink blush orchid plant and yummy pancit and garlic giant soft pretzels. Brother William followed after a while.
The girls kept raving about how good the pretzels were,
while I have been enjoying the pancit till today and relish the view of the flowers on our
altar.
Sept 25,2022
12:07pm
I abandoned my
writing last night and gave in to distractions in the internet. My 2nd
born Ana Marcelina a.k.a. Lilli kept asking me to sleep with her.
I gave in after 3 or more nudging.
First born, Victoria Marina or Mari is off to do some
driving practice with dear Jane, my friendly 72 year old neighbor who has decided
to make us family.
She prepared bagels and 2 different cheese spread and
eggs for breakfast before she left.
Ruel cooked scrambled eggs with lots of yellow and red
tomatoes ( courtesy of the generosity of some friends and office mate’s garden
harvests.)
Yum!
After some other tasks, here I am trying to resurrect my
blogging/writing pursuits… which was my armchair mental health therapy of long
ago.
It worked once…I am sure, it will work it’s magic again.
So, I am now basking
in the love and care certain friends and family showed me for my birthday.
I will do a thanksgiving list t now without the
initially planned blow by blow timeline:
1.
Jane, she baked me a very heavenly delicious
German Chocolate cake with toppings of pecan, coconut and 3 purple candles. She
asked Mari to put a dollap of Hagen Daz vanilla icecream in each slice ( which I had to beg
off from).
2.
She then
gave me this wonderful card that says this:
3.
After reading , I opened a beautifully wrapped
small box that contained a sleek white 2 plastic blade miniature fan, very good
for the hot flashes that comes with a deadly surprise now and then.
4.
A silver shiny wrapped box came next, floating
candles!
5.
Jane then asked Mari to get something from the
bedrooms, and a wow glass jar was presented to me with lovely green butterfly
candles ( which matched my blouse c/o Mari) and 3 yellow wooden shavings
flowers. Beautiful!!! Guess, finally, I
will treat myself with a bubble bath with these floating candles keeping me
company! Good idea?
6.
Wrapped myself with a grey Ikea throw blanket
from Celedonia.
7.
Reaching for Mari and Lilli’s gift bag….another
TREASURE found, a lovely book by LM Montgomery from a dreamy place already on
the top of our bucket list.
8.
Lilli read the post-word about this classic book
and Jane exclaimed, this looks like those Victorian parlor room reading
sessions….and we delighted ourselves in the moment.
9.
4pm-530 pm saw us in the loving care and
generosity of Father Ani of Holy Cross parish. He treated us to another amazing
experience. After the 4pm mass where he asked our family to do the offertory
and showered us with holy water, he invited us and another couple to join an Eritrean
family and friends in festivities for the baptism celebration of their first
born daughter. The food and the dancing
was such a novelty. We teased Marina
over something that made her get tickled pink during this whole interesting
experience.
10.
Their traditional costume and music and food was
such a wonderful unique and curious attraction.
11.
8am CT-12 noon,
a handful of high school classmates and I started our mini reunion with bible reading on Sept 24, 2022 gospel
readings and our very own Father Tim gave us his thoughts. Then we proceeded to
share our own thoughts and thanksgiving.
Claire from Ireland joined us
around 9am already. We got to share our struggles and triumphs while we remembered those classmates who
passed on and those who are challenged with health issues in prayer. Looking
forward to another chance to meditate on God’s word with them again soon.
Praise God, the lack of sleep and
head ache was manageable with 2 power naps.
I will end this journal entry,
this documentation of the love received for my birthday from people around me (
physically and virtually) who made an
extra effort to greet me in their own love languages with this recording as
taken from a message from dear friend Ally, who is based in New Zealand and was
one of the first to greet me in advance.
https://youtu.be/HUcYPWrqpjM
https://youtu.be/UHfetzBzkvI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzPMFSoIu1Q&ab_channel=GoingVananas
