Happy drips, happy Mom, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday, Sol!

It's my eldest son's birthday.
He turns five today.

Five. What a big number.
He's growing so fast.




I used to not understand parents
When they said this.
But it's so true.
Once you have children
Everything seems to move at lightspeed.
My days are a blur sometimes
And I am in constant need
Of things, activities, people
To remind me to b r e a t h e
To relax and take in the process
To actually relish and enjoy it.

And there are no better individuals
Than one's own kids
To do just that.

Case in point:
It was one of those tough days
I was at the end of my rope
The kids needed to get tucked in bed
Not too long after one just finished demanding for his milk
Another asks for water
Then just when I think that's that
Another asks for a lullaby
And in my fowl, exhausted mood
This was the last thing I wanted to do
But I have learned that when it comes to such requests
There is nothing better to do but oblige

So there I was
Singing Hush Little Baby through gritted teeth
When his voice, sweet and calm and so grown up, pierced my heart:
It's okay, Mommy. You don't need to finish the lullaby
You need to rest. You look tired.
Love you, Mom. Goodnight.

Just like that.

I gave him a thank you kiss
and tried hard not to let my happy drips (his own phrase for his mom's "tears of joy")
fall on his angelic face.

It may have been my awful singing that night
But the way I know my son
That came from his thoughtful and caring tiny heart
Which is so capable of love that is nothing at all tiny.

Happy Birthday, Big Guy.
Mommy loves you...as big as the whole Universe, Galaxy
And yes, bigger than Boracay, too!


Solomon Joshua Azimi, The Picture Company, Manila