melita de leon-castro, babae at ina..

my mother is a summation of all the good things. at this day and age, she has continue to nurture us with love, care and affection in the best way she can.

when i was invited to be the guest speaker in our barangay in their school graduation, i clearly remembered saying that, "maswerte po ako dahil nagkaroon ako ng mga magulang na may malaking pagpapahalaga sa edukasyon" and true enough, even if my late father alfredo castro left us in year 1999 she never surrendered to the goal and promise of sending us to school and finish college. she did everything, and when i say everything, i mean really everything...

1999 nang pumanaw si tatay, at sa mga panahong ito kasalukuyang kami ng aking ate maileen ay nasa kolehiyo. my ate was in third year college going to fourth year taking up architecture and i was then incoming third year college, both at far eastern university.

during this time all was uncertain, isa itong malaking trahedya na dumating sa aming buhay, bigla ang pagkawala ni tatay. at si nanay bilang asawa ay pinanghina ng mga pangyayari. she becomes very vulnerable, very soft....spiritually, physically, mentally and most of all she become very weak emotionally...wala na ang kanyang asawa, kabiyak, katuwang at kaagapay. tanda ko pa noon, tuwing ako ay darating galing sa iskwela daratnan ko siyang walang kibo, nasa isang tabi...umiiyak...i cannot feel what she is feeling at the time because i know she is the only one who can truly feel what is it to lose a husband...

salamat sa diyos at hindi nanatiling nanlulumo si nanay, binigyan lamang pala ang sarili ng oras para makapag-isip, makapag nilay at makapagplano at maghilom ang kanyang puso.

we continue with our studies even at that time i do not know where my mother is getting the strength and the financial power to send us to school.

my mother was not a able to step into high school and all the more she did not finish college, but her skills, intelligence, perseverance and the talent is without a doubt beyond of those university graduates. madiskarte si nanay, lahat ng pwedeng pagkakitaan ay kanyang pinapasok ng buong tapang, namili sya ng palay, nag -alaga ng mga hayop, nag patahi ng school bag, nagsaka...kinalinga ang lupa...wala siyang pakialam kung sa kabila ng kanyang pagkababae ay binubungkal nya ang lupa, nagpapainit sa araw at hinahawan ang masukal na bukirin...

her efforts are not put into waste, my ate maileen and i assured that it will not be wasted.

there is really a time of sowing and a time for reaping, and the time of reaping has come. 2002 was the most memorable and most remarkable year in my life and i believe for my mother also. it was in this year my ate maileen and i graduated in college

castro, maileen d. - bachelor of science in architecture

castro, aristhotel d. - bachelor of arts in mass communication, cum laude

my mother was brought into tears in this very moment, when she put on my medal she hugged me tight and bursted into tears.

sa kasalukuyan, sinusubukan naming magkapatid na ipatikim kay nanay ang mga munting sarap at luho ng buhay, hindi naman labis labis ngunit tama lang, sakto lang...

now that my sister has started to have her own family and i soon, she never falter to be with us, to guide us and to love us...we salute you nay...happy mother's day..