Turning 26 is a milestone.. Especially with how the year 2013 is going for me. A month has barely passed, and yet I've gone through with a lot, perhaps more than any other single month of my life.
My kuya got married on the first week and moved out of our house right after the ceremony. First immediate family to leave and somehow, without having to say it, we all feel as if something's missing everyday.
Not long after that, my mom was rushed to the hospital with a case of heart attack and then found out she needs a heart bypass as soon as possible. That news really rocked me to my core when I heard about it at the middle of the week, just before my birthday at that. It's one of those moments you never thought could happen to you and when you find yourself in it, it feels so surreal. As if you're on the outside looking in. The busy work week seems to be a blessing at that time, forcing me to come home late to an almost empty house. Instead of waiting for news and updates, at least I get to pour myself in a lot of emails and phone calls all through more than 12 hours of work for 2 days straight. The stress at work became some sort of refuge from the real world of having to face the possibility of something I can't even say out loud.
Celebrating my birthday today seems unthinkable then, but I know there's just one thing I want. I knew my birthday wish is reserved for my mom. There's nothing I want for my birthday but for my mom to survive the operation and for our house to feel like a home again. That's why when I saw her this afternoon at the hospital, and I got to talk to her about the most trivial of things, I knew this birthday is one of the best I've ever had.
