mommy talk
My grand aunt, Florencia Laxa whom we fondly call Ima celebrated her 98th birthday yesterday in a grand sort of way. This has been a tradition since she turned 90. My aunt and uncles would throw a big party to celebrate love and life because after all, how many people are blessed enough to have their mother live to such an age? Every time I receive an invitation to Ima’s birthday party, I can’t help but smile a very big smile and I want to share with you some things that I have learned from her on how to live to 98 and be the life of the party.
- Be positive– my Ima is always in a happy mood. I don’t recall seeing a photo of her being grumpy or causing stress to the people around her. It helps others take care of her better because she is just a joy to be around. During last night’s thanksgiving mass for her, she would blurt out comments during the sermon that would make us laugh and that is just her bubbly self that cannot be contained.
- Stay cool and connected– when I visited Ima one day, I kept speaking to her in a loud voice and she kept replying to me in her usual calm and collected manner. When my Auntie Minia came to join us, she told me to speak softly as my Ima is not deaf, haha! I was so embarrassed-all the while she was kind and patient towards me even when I spoke to her as if she couldn’t really hear!
- Enjoy the moment– if you look closely at Ima, you can’t help but notice her smooth and unwrinkled skin which is a product of consistent daily moisturizing all these years. Being a Kapampangan, she also always dresses up nicely each day which helps her look forward to what the day has in store for her. If you take time to sit and talk to her, she will look at you in the eyes and give her total attention to you. When you ask her about her memories of her childhood or her youth, she will gamely interact with you. She likes to move about and though her children try to limit her activities because of her age, she naturally prefers to do things on her own.
“I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”-Psalm 146:2 ESV
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May 11, 2016 by Mommy Maricel
Hello, I love this post and it speaks so much to me. My favorite human being is my grandmother who will turn also 98 in a few days. I can´t wait to see her when I´m back in Spain for holidays. People this age are special per se, and I can see all the things you mentioned also in mines. She´s beautiful because she has an entire life in her face but her eyes still look like a child´s eyes. She was swimming every day until she was 90, she is never been scared of making decisions and although she can´t do many of the things she used to do, she keeps herself active. It´s probably one the persons I have laughed more with. She is my role model and I absolutely adore her.
Thank you for sharing, Ana! What an inspiration! Now that is how I want to mature..with grace and vitality!