Let me tell my Mama Story through poetry.
Behind her smiles,
lie the sacrifices she had endured for her family;
Behind her smiles,
lies the pain whenever she feels her children’s agony;
Behind her smiles,
lies the fear for her family whenever she had instincts of danger;
Behind her smiles,
lies a woman who longs for her family;
Behind her smiles,
lies a wife who longs for a husband’s love;
Behind her smiles,
lies a mother who longs to be with her children;
Behind her smiles,
lies the 16-year-period of longing for her loved ones;
Behind her smiles,
lie the tears she had shed for us;
Behind her smiles,
lies the love she had shared and shown to us;
And behind her smiles,
those have made her
a MOTHER.
P.S. My mother, Vilma, worked as an overseas filipino worker in Japan for 16 years. When I was in the 2nd year of my seminary formation, I received the painful news that my number one vocation supporter was gunshot in our home.