GottaLoveMom

Argh! A blank page Hmm. I had so many ideas in my mind; I was excited to write them all down. I started my E-notebook and opened a new Word document. I was eager to type – turn the images into words, but then, there was nothing. I looked around, rested my chin on my left hand, closed my eyes, moved my head around, and still – NOTHING.

I had been very sick. I was always nauseous, and for months, I couldn’t keep any food down. I had been seeing a gastroenterologist who had prescribed a few X-rays, and I was taking a lot of medication for acidity and nausea.  One day I was rushed to the emergency room and had to be admitted to the hospital because I was totally dehydrated. Of course, as standard procedure, they took a pregnancy test. To my surprise – and to the surprise of my very concerned parents -- there I was, pregnant at 24 years old! The news went from “Congratulations, you’re having a baby” to “Sorry, but we have to terminate the pregnancy!” My doctor told me that since I had taken all sorts of medicine and had had a few X-rays, the pregnancy had to be terminated because there was a high probability that my child would have mental and physical disabilities. The emotions that enveloped me that day were beyond words. I didn’t know what to do. I kept whispering, “Don’t I have a say in this matter?” I was...

Seventeen years ago, on Mother's Day, my husband and I vowed in a Jewish-Christian ceremony, "to love and honor, all the days of our lives." In the book, "Out of Status" , I immortalized my love to the man who epitomizes every woman's romantic super hero - my husband. Not only does he warms my side of the bed during winter time, not only does he make my decaf chai tea every morning -- he tries to make sure I smile every day, no matter what. Today, my husband confirmed his title "romantic super hero", when he wrote a beautiful poem for our anniversary. This card alone was a perfect, and the poem that he wrote just confirmed how lucky I am! Seventeen Years, What does it mean? It is a long time, or a short time? In the realm of things perishable, seventeen years is enough time for     Freshness to become decay,     Playful youthfulness to become staid     maturity,     Novelty to become ...

When my son was born, my husband's college friend gave him a small duck blanket, sort of like a lovey.  I used to lay it across his chest thinking that it would help to soothe him as he was a fussy baby.  My daughter sucked her thumb to calm herself, but my son never found his or took to the pacifier.   At about three months old, he started to hold on to it and even snuggle it a bit.  The softness of the material helped to ease his stress by rubbing it on his face, smelling the familiar odors.  He sought the ducky blanket for comfort.   We never went anywhere without Ducky.  I soon realized that we needed a backup. In my journeys, I ended up finding two replacements, just in case we ever lost one.  Being that we are always on the go, near and far, we ended up losing one permanently.  It was not the original Ducky; that one was spared. Walt Disney World By the time my son was three, he found o...

Three years ago, my third child wrote his first music composition which he presented to me for Mother's Day. He was about 13 when he wrote this song titled "A Song For My Mother - Awit Para Kay Nanay ". He has composed quite a few songs, however, this still remains my favorite song. This Sunday is Mother's Day. Did you know that the person who advocated for the celebration of Mother's Day died protesting against the abuse and commercialization of what the holiday had become? The first Mother's Day celebration in the U.S. was in 1907, when Anna Javis held a memorial service for her mother.  She campaigned to make "Mother's Day" a recognized holiday in the U.S.  Finally, after 7 years, on May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress passed a  law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation declaring the first national Mother's Day as a day for America...

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I've ended up where I needed to be." - Douglas Adams When I was a child playing with my Barbie dolls, Barbie was always off on some adventure, with Ken along for the ride.  I grew up always thinking that I would someday go to college (which I did), have a career that allowed me to travel the world (I only got to see the really NICE and SAFE parts of industrial New Jersey, New York and Eastern Pennsylvania), and be a carefree, independent woman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pumpkins.jpg I was somewhat of an entrepreneurial child.  I sold the pumpkins that we grew in our family's garden plot, frequently had a mobile garage sale (from my little wagon) to unload my unwanted/outgrown toys to the neighborhood children, and, as most children, sold lemonade on the corner of our block. This all led to my development as an independent person, ready to tackle the world. I...

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a children’s party of a friend’s son who had just turned 1. Arriving a bit late, I found Ronald McDonald laughing with the kids as they tried to pin the donkey’s tail on his butt. Shortly after, a magician came out and performed some tricks that succeeded to catch everyone’s attention.  As I watched the kids get mesmerized with his magic tricks, I remembered the first children’s party I attended. It was at my friend’s house and their whole garden had been transformed into a wonderland. There were multicolored lights hanging from the trees and bubbles floated in the air. I felt sure Alice and her friends - the white rabbit, Mad Hatter, Cheshire cat – would all come out and invite us to join them for tea. While the others around me ate and played, I sat in my chair, oblivious to everything but fully captivated by the whole scene in front of me.