wake up call

i was eating my favorite nilaga and tilapya one morning when my mother joined me in the dining table. she would do this normally if she has time - to sit with me while eating and to chat. therefore, it was an ordinary morning... nothing unusual.

then she became teary-eyed. it alarmed me. you see, my mother is one of the strongest people that i know. i would only see her crying if someone in the family is hurting.

she then narrated her dream to me: a blinding light calling her, saying it's her time to go. she, of course, asked if she can stay longer. how could she leave when her children are not yet settled with their own lives?

after that, the blinding light disappeared.
then she woke up.

i did not know how to respond. i've heard a lot of similar stories of people dying and having this vision. it scared me to death but at the same time, i know i have to be strong for her - to not falter in her time of weakness. so i said, "ibig sabihin nun malakas ka kay Lord kasi pinagbigyan ka... ibig sabihin nun matagal ka pa dito."

whether it came from the Lord or merely a dream, my heart is still troubled. how would you feel if you knew that the most important woman in your life is leaving for good?

maybe this is a wake-up call for all of us in the family. we're so amused with our own personal lives that we take for granted the presence of each other.

that we forget the importance of each other.

that we forget that family is a blessing.

later that moment, i talked to God. i know that someday, each of us will be gone. but today, i thanked the Lord for my mother, and letting us keep her. and i pray that she'll be given many many more years ahead of her... so that we can show her how important she is to us.