Celebrating Life

It’s Nissa’s 38th birthday today. We just satisfied ourselves  talking to each other over the phone this morning. First time in 38 years that we won’t see each other before or after her birthday. This pandemic surely changed all that.

I made her some sort of greetings with her favorite color….lavender.  She chose it when they got married years ago and some of her things left here are also color-coordinated.

I’ve written this on every birthday that she had:  the most important even on her birthday?  It’s the Feast Day of our first Filipino saint – San Lorenzo Ruiz.  He is a Filipino saint venerated in the Catholic church, the first canonized Filipino martyr.

Nissa told me that they just ordered food online  to celebrate her birthday. That’s one thing that  has changed too. The family used to celebrate together by having lunch-out. The first few years though, I have always prepared something for us every time we hold our birthdays. Josef let her choose her gift and he reimbursed it  afterwards. Obet gave her a Lacoste wristwatch while Kev sent her an electric oven. Her gift from me is still here. I don’t know when we’ll be able to see each other again. I know it is a quiet birthday since they are still working from home.

I can’t believe I have a 38 years old daughter. I am really getting old.