This year marks the second time that I’m celebrating Mother’s Day being apart from my mom. The first time around was when I went to college in the States for a couple of years. Now it’s a different story. My mom now resides in Borneo for work so the first thing I did was to call her at dawn (both of us are early birds).
Like most mothers, she sounded so happy when to receive my call, no matter how early it was. Being cat ladies, we instantly chatted about Charlie and the pregnant, tortoiseshell stray cat that she recently adopted. She named the cat Cumi and prepared a box for her to deliver the litter. Just seconds ago, my mom apparently found two black kittens nestling next to the cat, all of them snugged and warm in the box. What a way for her to wake up on Mother’s Day! It was a lovely gift, straight from nature. My mom later sent photographs of the felines to me and the sight made me melt. They kind of remind me of growing up with my mom and baby sister.
And that, I realized, was the best Mother’s Day gift for my mom— to be surprised of the love around her. I cannot wait to spend time with her at her place in June. It’ll be both a reunion and vacation for the two of us. Happy Mother’s Day to my strong-willed and beautiful mom. You’re the epitome of “Love, always.”
