Age Is Just A Number

 

This image is from http://www.memegen.com/

 

 

 

And for Mum, that word is ‘blessed’.

 

 

Mum believes that she is blessed from the time she wakes up each morning to the time she retires to bed at night.

 

 

I think, we, her brood, are blessed to still have Mum with us.

 

 

Mum celebrated her birthday last month.

 

 

 

Ain’t THAT sweet!

In keeping with tradition, we began Mum’s special day at Mass in our chapel.

Mum outside the chapel after Mass.
Ginger Snaps, the chapel kitty, is behind Mum’s right hand. Yup, I named G-Snaps. 🙂

 

 

 

Tradition continued with breakfast at this restaurant that my parents visited even before I was born.

 

 

 

L—>R: Sis-in-law, Mum, Big Sis, me.

 

 

 

On her birthday, Mum gets a lot phone calls and of drop in visitors during the day. That leaves her exhausted at the end of the day. When I returned to the nest five years ago, that first year, I noticed how washed out Mum was just when her celebrations were set to kick into high gear with dinner. The very next year, I began a new tradition.

 

 

A sit down dinner with the immediate family on Mum’s birthday itself.

 

 

 

The family that eats together ….

 

 

 

The formal dinner for relatives and friends is later in the year when everyone is back in town. (Mum’s birthday falls on a national holiday during the holiday period.)

 

 

At first, there were a few murmurs about the celebration being months after her birthday. Meh, used to ‘em murmurs. My concern is Mum.

 

 

I want Mum to be happy having people important to her to celebrate yet another year with us

and

I want Mum to have the energy to do so.

 

 

So having the dinner on a Saturday night during the non-holiday period and when she gets to rest earlier in the day, was the solution.

 

 

As with some of my other “madness”, this ‘tradition’, too, caught on with a few other people we know. 🙂

 

 

Oh no. You know. This post is lame. And you also know why.

 

 

So are you jealous? Of all the fun I began having three weeks ago? Preparing for the renovations in our foyer, living room and dining room that will begin in two weeks?

 

 

I’m pumped! For Mum’s sake.

 

 

Daddy got a stroke in 1990. Our home has not had any touches, none, unless they were absolutely necessary, from the time Daddy got the stroke to the time he passed away 16 ½ years later in 2006. Mum refused to let herself get distracted with trivial issues like maintaining the pretty home she was known for or even getting modern appliances. (Look again at the photograph of our dining room above.)

 

 

Since Mum lived alone (with the house help; no family) until I returned, she did not attempt anything on her own either after Daddy passed away. Completely understandable.

 

 

Two years ago, before I began this blog, I got the kitchen and Mum’s master bath ripped apart. Mum was delighted to have a gleaming new space with more practical and convenient amenities. Now that she has recovered nicely from that upheaval, it’s time for the three front rooms of our home.

 

 

Oh, our home is 182 years …. young, so there’s a little bit of emotional upheaval, too, for all of us.

 

 

Now for messages to you, my regular commenters, The Hook and Elvie Rose, since I’ve been silent on your blogs for the past month nearly. Really? Yikes! Time sure flies when I’m having fun! 😉

 

 

Hook blogs at

 

You’ve Been Hooked!  

http://youvebeenhooked.wordpress.com/

 

and

 

The Book of Terrible

http://thebookofterrible.wordpress.com/

 

 

Hook, I’ve not said peep for a while now, but I’m still stalking ya! I read your posts, look to make sure that all is quiet on the Western front, heave a sigh of relief for all of you and go about my scurrying way.

 

 

Elvie blogs at

 

FLOWERSBLOOMS by “Elvie”

http://flowersblooms-elvierose.blogspot.in/

 

 

Elvie, I’m very pleased with all the fun you’re having with your new toy oven. 🙂

 

 

When I read this line from one of your recent posts:

>This week the Philippines once again experienced the wrath of “Habagat” (Southwest monsoon). Manila and most parts of Luzon submerged in water due to heavy rains.

>Rescuers pulling a rubber boat in Las Pinas City. Filipino Bayanihan spirit in action.  Bayanihan refers to a spirit of communal unity and cooperation

– I knew exactly what you meant by ‘bayanihan’, Elvie!

 

 

During my time in Saudi Arabia, my Filipina friend, Fleur, and her group of friends warmly embraced me as one of theirs. One of the many nice things that struck me about the Filipino community was your ‘bayanihan’. I was blessed to be part of that community during my years in Aramco.

 

 

And now back to y’all.

 

 

Thank you all for bearing with my rather flat post, but look, it’s short, innit? Hooray perhaps?

 

 

 

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Thank you, Tash Thomas and Equatours, for signing up to follow my posts.

 

Thank you, You’ve Been Hooked!  and FLOWERSBLOOMS by “Elvie”, for commenting on my last post.

 

Thank you, You’ve Been Hooked!, Equatours, FLOWERSBLOOMS by “Elvie” and LEAF AND TWIG, for liking my last post.

 

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 P.S.: Cheerful Monk adds a footnote to every post acknowledging those who comment on her previous post. She also links the commenters’ names back to their own blogs.

 

I like both these practices of acknowledging the time and effort made to comment, and the free advertising! So I’m doing what I do well – being a copycat!  

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