meaningful 34 and counting

I was born on 25 September 1974. The "middle child" in a brood of three boys: Elisalde, Elisier and Ellis.

Nanay told me, she started to feel contractions at home around 1am. As any non-native Manileno in the 70s, it is usually your parientes, parientes in our situation for we are Ilonggos, who accompanied you to the hospital. Nang Nellie and Lola Ping were there to give support and assistance.

They rode a cab that passed by Divisoria. But at 1am, Divisoria is filled with very strong and unfriendly odors. Divisoria afterall is one amazonian wet market.

As Nanay recalled, she pushed me out into the world around 5am in the morning at Far Eastern University Hospital in what the doctors called "a painless childbirth" :- ) Only to know afterward that the whole "painless childbirth" process was with side effects like nervousness and chills :- )

By the way, Tatay was never physically present during all of our childbirths. Nasa viaje sya. And I say that not as a put down. I say that with utmost love and respect to the man who gave himself totally to us, his family. I knew about sacrificial love from Tatay. If there's one legacy he has given me, that would be it.

Everything I am, I owe to him and Nanay. I thank God for He has put me in a family that never made me feel incomplete or that there was something lacking even though our home was in Tondo, Manila. And in the 70s, that address meant something else. Actually, up to now, Tondo still carries a sting, a toned one though.

This 34th birthday is very significant to me.

For one my father got married at the age of 34. Ever since, he has told his boys to get married at the age of 34. That would probably explain why I was never in the hurry to get married during my 20s. And this belief of marrying "late" was also bolstered when only 3 of my 12 high school friends married during their late 20s. Not that we are commitment-phobic or anything. I really believe that we, the Kaka, this is what we call ourselves, take marriage and beginning a family as one of the top 3 most serious and noble privilege given to man.

I spent the first half of the day in bed. Praying. Very meaningful tears trickled down. Mouth wide open as I silent scream my gratefulness and my prayers to Him. And He spoke and led me to Elijah. That name alone speaks to me in a lot of different ways. But the one thing that specially spoke to me was the time when Elijah said to his servant (1 Kings 18:43-45),

"Go up now, look toward the sea." And he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And he said, "Go again seven times." And at the seventh time he said, "Behold, a little cloud like a man's hand is rising out of the sea." And he said, "Go up to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.'" And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.

It spoke to me because Elijah asked the servant to go seven times and it all started with a cloud like a man's hand rising and ended with a great downpour! Very dramatic. Actually, very Hollywood :- )

Reminds me that God is very dramatic God. Drama and the theatrics is intimately entwined in my soul. It calls out the warrior in me :- )

... and the drama begins anew at age 34!