dear mama,
I can’t even imagine what it would’ve been like to come all the way over on a plane from the philippines to start a new chapter of life in a place so far away from all you knew. your friends, your home, your country and your family.
I wonder whether you felt brave in the moment or whether you were terrified as the plane touched down on new soil? I wonder whether it was daunting to hear so many people speak english 24/7 or whether you “fit in” at nursery group in a small village in the countryside. I bet you had no idea what to expect raising two children in your 20’s in a foreign country that you would soon be able to call home, but not for a while. I wonder how well it treated you as you went about your daily life at the store, on the bus, in the school grounds or whether you felt terribly lonely and isolated? I wonder what it felt like trying to find community here in England. Knowing you needed a Filipina base, getting to know another human’s family to call your own and finding a church you could feel at home in. I wonder how hard you found it navigating a language that wasn’t your first, wearing thicker clothing as the winter’s dragged on. I wonder what it felt like seeing snow for the first time or whether you too, eventually, got tired of the constant drizzle of rain. I wonder what it was like working in another country for the first time, how you found out that that was what you wanted to do? to look after and care for people because that’s what your heart loves to do. I wonder so many things and have asked you countless times about your upbringing. I think there’s so much value in appreciating your present once you learn all about your past and of those who came before you.
I am forever grateful for your prayers of intercession and deliverance. I’ve watched on the sidelines and also witnessed you center stage love Jesus wholeheartedly. You have been so faithful and loyal to Him and I just know that He delights in Your voice whenever you sing to Him! I’m thankful for the wisdom, encouragement, provision and love you have continuously poured out onto me and others. You are an incredible woman of God and I say it countless times but you have set the precedent for those who long for His rule and reign here on earth. You have that Kingdom of God mindset in the everyday sharing so many of the same passions as I have.
You love seeing people find freedom. Freedom in Christ. You are led by the Holy Spirit in conversation and I admire your closeness in walking with the Lord.
I’m so grateful that I get to share a part of you, that I’m part of your bloodline, carrying on your legacy and your story. I look like you. I have the same brown eyes, filipina nose, full lips and long black hair that I just sometimes cannot be bothered to brush, as you. We are mother and daughter, (mistaken as) sisters (all the time) + best friends all rolled into one. And I’m so grateful for that.
May I celebrate you today and everyday as a mum who is fiercely in love with Jesus, in the business of seeing His Kingdom here on earth, spitting truth in love and grace for all to hear. May we always remember the tough yet rewarding journey you have walked up until this moment. The path you forged for us to have access to new horizons + new opportunities. You are amazing and I love ya so much mama.
happy mother’s day, you’re incredible!
xo