Last August 14, 2024 is my 36th birthday. The day started listening with the simple happy birthday song from my son and husband while we are in bed. They are the first persons who greeted me and serenade me with happy birthday song. It is simple yet means so much to me. Then my husband offered a prayer of hopes for me and it makes my heart grow.
The day goes on like a normal day. My husband cooked food for us while I assist my son preparing for school. The three of us have different errands to do. My husband went to work, me to a so called work too because I am assisting my sister in law in their shop and my son is going to school.
Birthdays in the Philippines is usually celebrated with the family and friends with foods. Yes, you read it right, birthdays seems incomplete for Filipinos without food. Filipinos usually celebrates birthdays with a lot of foods in the table enjoyed by family members and friends during lunch or commonly during dinner.
Being a simple woman, a practical mom and a thrifty wife I never plan for a celebration with food. I just want to have a simple dinner with my family like a usual day.
I have a lot of reasons why I don't like to have a celebration with lot of foods:
First, I don't know how to cook, lol. Yes, I am not into cooking. In our house, my husband cooks more than me, lol.
Second, I felt so tired to prepare, the decoration, the food, the cooking, the utensils and above all it is so tiring to wash the dishes after the celebration.
Third, I don't have a budget for it. I prefer to save money to buy clothes and things needed for the coming baby.
As we grow older, celebration like this doesn't matter to us that much. Being a mother, I just want to prepare for my son's birthday and being a wife I also wanted to prepare for my husband's birthday, but for mine, I never planned for a celebration.
We only planned to cook cassava with condensed milk and margarine as preparation just in case our churchmates will serenade early morning. But since it is a working and school days, almost everyone is busy. The serenading team were not able to serenade me early in the morning. I am glad that they didn't come because my husband forget to get cassava in our little garden a day before my birthday because he thought it is still august 12 but it is already august 13. That night, I felt worried because we don't have something to offer for the serenading team and in my worries, I cried, lol. My husband felt sorry for it and say sorry to me early in the morning.
The afternoon came and I wonder why my son and husband not yet arrived from school in the usual time. I never think anything and just waited that my husband will fetch me in the shop. Time came that my husband arrived but he arrived early than the usual time. He said that we need to go home early because we will prepare early because our son will have part in the midweek worship in the church.
As we arrived at home, I was surprised to see my niece first, I wonder why she is there. Then, I saw my sister, then my mother and they hug me and greeted me a happy birthday. I really wonder why they are there where in fact we didn't prepare something. Then I went inside our small house and saw food trays in the table. I am really surprised why their are foods there? Who bought it? I know that it wasn't cooked at home because my husband went to work. I told my husband that if I knew it, I might cook spaghetti so that we have additional food. Then they said, it won't be a surprise anymore if he told me his plan and they were right.
I never had the idea that my husband will do this for me on my birthday. In fact, this is the first time that he made a surprise for me on my birthday. I even jokingly said that next time he should forget the cassava again so that there will be another surprise again, lol.
Since there were food in the table, I also look for the happy birthday banner that we had last time for our son's birthday and hang it there for an additional touch. My husband told me that they really look for it but they never found it, lol.
My husband told my sister in law to order a food package worth 1500.00 or around $30. It already consists of four viand which is good enough for 10 to 15 persons.
He also bought a cake for me. He also contacted my mother, my sister and my brothers to be in our little house for dinner and indeed his surprise is successful.
After a few minutes, my other siblings arrived as well as my sister in law and her family. We prayed and thanks God for the food and we enjoyed the meal together.
Indeed it was a great surprise for me because it was a first time. I am so grateful, blessed and felt so loved that day. I am so happy that people around me made my day extra more special.
That's my birthday and thank you so much for reading.
