As a mother, I am happiest when I see my children smile back at me. No amount of tiredness can dampen a mom’s heart when my children are joyful in my arms.
Placed in its proper perspective, I know that this joy is not a human invention. I see it as a gift that is meant to be enjoyed and be grateful for. I don’t deserve their smiles, but I am being gifted with them just the same.
When they are sad or sick, I have yet to remember an instance when I have not felt their pain or sadness. This is both beautiful and burdensome, you know. We thank God for the beauty of it. We bear the burden and leave it to the Lord. The result continues to be profoundly astounding.
I remember writing this poem when I had my first child. I remember reading it again when I gave birth to my second child.
Children are a(n) heritage of the Lord. – Bible
Shining
I’m thinking of ways to write
on paper the signs on your cheeks
when with every glance I see the Creator’s beauty
stamped on each smile.
(Iniisip ko kung paano ko isusulat
sa papel ang mga tanda sa iyong pisngi
gayong nakikita ko ang kagandahan ng Maykapal
sa bawat ngiti.)
My hands will shake
for I am yet to learn how to write a poem
with eyes closed. Your eyes cannot handle the light
of the sun when you try to stare at it.
(Manginginig ang aking mga kamay
sapagkat hindi ko pa natututunan ang pagtula
nang nakapikit. Lubhang nakasisilaw ang araw
kapag ito’y iyong tinitigan.)
Ruth Solitario
Court of Reverie 