On Monday, the 23rd of January, my mother, Inay, will celebrate her 70th birthday.  She will have a big party with dancing and feasting.  Unfortunately, I will not be there.  With this post, I wish to greet her a happy birthday.

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My mother, Ka Belen, as she is popularly known in our place, is an accomplished dressmaker, an artisan in her trade.  People came to her for their clothing needs - dresses, pants, Barong Tagalog, uniforms, wedding gowns.  Later, she expanded her services to include curtains, sofa covers and upholstery, bed covers, car seat covers, even.  

She made clothes for my sister and me.  Sometimes, I did not want to wear the things she sewed because I thought that the ready-made ones from the department stores were better.  Besides, most of my classmates wore store-bought clothes.  So, I wanted to have store bought clothes as well.   I was that kind of daughter.     

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Inay did not get a college degree.  Being the oldest daughter of a poor family, she was sent to a vocational school after high school so that she could learn a trade  and help her  family as quickly as possible.  When I entered high school, Inay decoded to pursue further education.  She enrolled in a distance learning course and received her modules regularly.  But this daughter, me, did not like it.  I was embarrassed that my mother was learning the same things that I was learning in school.  I do not know if any of my siblings remember this time.  Now, I feel sad and sorry about how I reacted.  I wonder how her life and our lives would have been different if Inay got the education she desired. 

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Now that I am middle aged myself, I am starting to look more and more like my mother.  I wonder what she will say about that.  Happy birthday, Inay.   

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Have a great day and best regards,

Imelda