Celebrating Life: Thankful for 30

by - 11:32 PM



I turned 30 last 21st.

It was the simplest yet one of the most meaningful celebrations I had in 30 years.

Here I go again, my second entry for the year. I've mentioned in my first entry that I wanted to write once everything's stable for us, but it's my birthday after all.

2017 drained us.

My husband sent a message one October night (last year) while he was at work. He said his position was made redundant and that they couldn't give him projects anymore because, in their own words, "he finished them all".

He was so down. It must be the saddest state I have ever seen him in.

It was a good paying job and with my salary from my online jobs plus the income from our small retail business, we had more than enough. Then we plummeted real quick.

We were paying rent in Manila. We all know how expensive it is over there. We paid utilities and occasional trips to the doctor. We were also paying for a house and lot property.

It was all so sudden and hazy and we still haven't gotten back up.

But we're ok. We are being tested, and we are ok.


Thankful for...



SocialGen Family
I thank God, because I have work, two jobs at that, and they keep us afloat. Gab never forced me to work, but I kept them. Other than the money, I have grown to love the people I work with. My birthday fell on a Wednesday, the 2nd of the 3 weekly huddles in my full time. The team sang a really slow happy birthday, and we all laughed. In my part time, everyone greeted me in Slack. :)

RWM loves:
Ang tanging mga ex na binabalik-balikan
in our annual Christmas Get-together

I thank God for the people he surrounded me with. We've received a lot of help from families and friends. We hope we will be able to repay your kindness soon.

Soon-to-rise :)

I thank God for the new chapter. We've moved to an apartment in the province, a town away from the property we bought. The developer was kind enough to assist us with our payments, while Gab is still unemployed, and the construction will start soon. The boys are enjoying the provincial life. We are happy.

Breastfeeding speaker for Millennial Moms PH's
Mom Tribe with founder, Dette, and co-BFP
Peer Counselors, Jenina and Keiko

Our students at A-Ha!

Raising Gen Z: Mommy Mundo's Janice Villanueva and Our Awesome Planet's Anton Diaz
Photo courtesy of Mommy Mundo

I thank God for the happiness He has given me in the form of events and volunteer work. The events may not be as frequent now that we have left the metro for good and I may not be able to teach to the kids at A-ha, anymore, but I'm glad to have done them. I still have the breastfeeding advocacy to share, no matter where I am.

So now, I'm going to tell the story...

Finding a random village horse
I wanted to do a separate post on the trials we had to go through when we've surpassed it already, but it's still taking some time, so I will just tell you about the little victories.
Gab was hired for a Saudi-based company last December. I am not a fan of LDR, having lived all my life with a distant father who saw us a month every year. But I was happy for him. I was happy because he was happy. I knew how much it hurt him to not be able to provide for us financially, so when the Saudi offer came I just had to support him.

Having fun at Nanay's college

I dreaded everyday, though, that it might just be Popy and I on my 30th birthday. I felt like it was a milestone I needed to celebrate but it felt lonely not to have Gab around.

But God allowed me to celebrate with my two boys. :)

I thank God because my husband may not have work outside, but he's doing such a great job as a husband and a father. There's coffee and sandwich brought to my workstation every morning. He eats breakfast with Popy, gives him a bath and even teaches him the homeschool lesson for day. I'd hear them laughing, and he'd go telling our Popy that, maybe, the reason why he lost his job is so that he can spend sometime with us.

Homeschooling Popy

One time, our landlady asked me how I'd manage when Gab starts working again because she knew I have work then there's our very active toddler and the chores and she noticed my husband does the laundry.

I said I could do it. I used to do it. Even when he had work, Gab would still help me with the chores and take care of Popy whenever he was home. It's just that, since he's here, he's allowed me to focus on work when it's my shift, and he looks after everything else to lessen my worries.

While I often hear husband horror stories of husbands and fathers who feel like they do not need to take part in any chore at home nor in taking care of their children because "it's the wife's/mom's job", my husband does everything out of love for our little family and out of his appreciation for me for remaining strong.

Make a wish.




This year, as I blew out the candle on my birthday cake, I only prayed for one thing:

That my dear Gab can finally get back on his feet. 

This year, my wish is for him because providing for us makes him happy. His happiness will resonate in our home, and I want that.

A new year...

I pray that this year will be better and that God will appreciate our resilience as a family.

My sister once said, "You've faced challenges before. You can face and win over this one".

We will come out stronger after all these.

Life is still beautiful and I'm thankful for the three decades that I have lived. It was thirty years worth it.

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1 comments

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