Letters and Poetry for Johanna No.04012013

Johanna - happy, bedimpled, and sans her front teeth :)
Dear Johanna Banana,

You will be recognized later for your scholastic achievement.Your school calls it "Academic Excellence" for Kindergarten. I am not sure if it is as important to you, as it is to me. Practicing dances and noisily strumming your guitar seem important to you these past days than practicing how to correctly receive your diploma. :)


As I climb the stage to join you in a school recognition that you may not yet fully comprehend in meaning, I will climb with you recognizing some of your achievements unknown to many. This is not in any order of significance, because with you, I never rank - everything that happens is in equal degree of importance.

Here are the Bow's Awards to Her Beloved Arrow (Gibran):

*The Best Alarm Award - Where all sorts and volumes of alarm clocks failed, YOU prevailed. Thank you anak for waking me up all days of my employment here in Manila. All my Perfect Attendance Bonuses in Brady Corporation is because of you. There were a couple of days you were unable to wake me up - but that was because you were sick and the other time was when you slept out of schedule because you were too tired figuring how to play hula hoop. Thus, this Bow excuses you. 

Yes, I tirelessly track. Beware: I am and will always be your staunchest stalker. Twitter and FB use the term "follower" though. Ok let's call a spade a spade. I am neither a stalker nor a follower. I am your Nanan (re:mom), all obligations and rights reserved. ;p

*The Prayerful Award - There was not a day you went to school without kneeling down at Lola-Daddy and Lola-Mommy's Prayer Room. If going to school will make you kneel daily and more, I pray for the Lord to continue to grant me the grace to send you to school, all days of my life and beyond.

*The Inquisitive Award - You unabashedly ask me during our study sessions: why your textbook pictures had all-male doctors and all-female nurses.  Why moms in the same textbook tend to always cook, dads always read the newspapers/work, and that there are no beki (re: gay) pictures. I see you are naturally gender-sensitive and that you don't believe everything you read and see. Very nice. 

The most remarkable question you have ever asked me is why Jill came tumbling after Jack fell down and broke his crown, when Jill could have called a doctor thru her cellphone and carefully went down para di rin sya madapa? Great job, anak. That's stability under pressure, analysis, problem-solving, and contingency planning brought about by a nursery rhyme for you. You are my spring of amazement.

*The Honesty Award - I asked you how I looked with a new shirt, I got this back: "Hindi ka na po ganda, cute na po - kasi taba ka na. Pero love pa rin kita." Ouch. How you drove your truthful point from my skin, to my fats, right through my heart. Nothing is more beautiful than truth said directly, simply, softly, respectfully and lovingly. Never lose this gift. It will lead you to the right friends, right career and probably - right partner in life, if meant to have a married life. Now that's me thinking way much ahead. Let's go back to "give us this day our daily bread and do what is best with what we receive". It makes things simpler. When things are simpler, they are better.

*The "Pwede-Rin-To" Award - "Pwede rin to gawing..." You see possibilities in anything. A Jollibee Chicken Joy bucket can be a toy container, helmet, boot, doghouse, megaphone...now that, is creepy. Will you be joining rallies too, in the future?

Not all kids will be able excel if they were also subjected to similar, unspeakable type of trials that we both have been through these years.

Johanna Holgado Chua - Your Lolo Resty, Lola Anna, Lola Apin, Lolo Johnny, Lola Rosario if here, would have been proud of you, as I am, along with everybody in our family.

If all things we need to learn, we learn in, and by, Kindergarten - then this is a cause for a grand celebration. For this, I'll let you have your favorite toasted/fried pancit later as a treat. :)

Congratulations Anak. Always, we bring our broken selves and the best of our deeds, as humble offerings at Daddy God's feet.


Love,

Nanan Gingging Saging

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