I am grateful

 A wise man said “Forget about aging gracefully; focus instead on aging gratefully.”

This is so true because as we age, we begin to appreciate all the blessings that God continues to bestow upon us. Some might have seen in my previous post that my birthday this year is something I did not plan nor expect. Our whole family is isolated/quarantined as we are all positive for Covid 19. But God is so giving that he sent messages and angels to make me feel special on my birthday.

Blessings started to pour in even a day before my birthday and you can read it in my previous post. But of course since God is so generous, it did not end there. 

As I was about to close this blog, I happened to browse one of my old blog entries dated Oct 22, 2022. Just a bit of history, my dad died on Oct 22, 2010. But a year after, god gave us our princess- Giulia. So in my blog post, 2 years after my dad passed- I wished for something… 


I wished for a son for my sister and brother in law. I cannot remember why my wish was so specific. But lo and behold- after a year- on Oct 6, 2013 - my sister gave birth to their first born son- Juan Benedict. Coincidence perhaps… but still I am thankful. It might be coincidence also that I got to see it a day before my birthday… but for me, it seems that my dad is trying to tell me… look- I have granted your wish years ago… you asked for a son for your sister- but God gave more than what I have asked for. She gave my sister 2 sons and of course I also have my own son. I am truly grateful. 

Then at exactly 12 midnight, I have been getting birthday greetings from family and friends. My husband of course posted his birthday greeting in Facebook. And throughout the day, I have been receiving a lot of messages from everyone. . I am happy for all those people who took some time to greet me, say their wishes and offered prayers for me. So again, I am grateful.

I was suppose to give out something for my family as what we call it “birthday ayuda”. Thanks to my sister as she volunteered to deliver my “ayuda” to everyone. Of course, I truly appreciated the sweet gesture.

Of course, my mom, as sweet as always, asked if I want anything, considering that she already gave me “birthday gifts” last week. 

My sister and even my 8 year old nephew asked if I already have a cake… my nephew was so sweet and volunteered that he can buy a birthday cake for me. I already refused because my thoughtful boss and colleagues already gave me a birthday cake. Little did I know that I will be receiving 3 cakes on my special day. One came from my former colleague-turned super close friend and the other cake came from my mother in law. 


Aside from the cake, my mother in law was extra sweet as she told me she will buy dinner for the whole Samsons family. Though we cannot eat together as we are quarantined, we just divided her treat for all us. Such a very sweet gesture which I truly appreciate.

I ended my day with a heart so full of appreciation. And what better way to give thanks but to attend Mass. The good thing with this Pandemic is that you can attend Mass being celebrated in any place. So I searched the shrine of Lorenzo Ruiz and watched the fiesta mass as Sept 28 is also the feast day of San Lorenzo Ruiz.

Thank you Lord for all the blessings. It was indeed a happy birthday to me.

Disclaimer: Pictures not mine. Most of these are captured from the internet.

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