“To My Lola” is a collection of some of my favorite moments with my grandma, in celebration of her 99th birthday.
Within March, we covered PHILIPPINE GENDER NEUTRALITY, a feature for moms in LACTATION PERIODS: RA 10028 and last week, it was about HONORING MY MOM. Today, I will share with you a few of my most cherished moments with my grandma.
“Kumain ka na? Kain ka.” These are the first things that you will hear when you enter her house. From my very first recollections through to my most recent visit. And yes, she always has warm food prepared in the kitchen and it is a genuine invite. To a large extent, I would dare say, everyone who leaves the house leave filled, rested and feeling loved. This is the type of nourishment my grandma provides – not just for the body, but for the heart and soul as well. Perhaps because you can share your stories and she will listen intently. Or perhaps you both can just sit comfortably together without any pressure to say or do anything.
She may be almost centennial… but just like our millennial generation, she is fast. She moves fast, she’s very decisive and she’s very skilled in arithmetic. Yes, as in Math. This has always amazed me. She can add or subtract or multiply or divide much faster than me… using a calculator. Perhaps because there was no calculator or much less MS Excel during in her youth, so her mind has been so used to working these functions. Or, perhaps she’s truly gifted in that area (among others). This has high possibility given that my father (her son) is also awesome in Math. I think that if she was born in the 20th century, she’ll be among the pioneering women in STEM.
My grandma has 9 children and there’s 27 of us, grandchildren. I lost count how many great grandchildren she already has. I will remember this around Christmas season with the help of my tita and cousin (winks). But you can imagine, right? Or if you are not Filipino, I would understand if you cannot. But despite this many people, she has always managed her time well and has always treated all of us fairly.
How about you, what are your favorite moments with your grandma?
Check out my other article about my lola here – Lessons from Lola: Lively, Lovely Lifestyle (A Call to Go Back to Healthy Habits) #livelikelola
Note: Lola is Filipino for grandmother. Probably from the Spanish abuela.