Birthday!

It's my birthday once again .... and I woke up wondering why people celebrate this day anyway.

Then I realized, its only one of either two things. You celebrate it or you curse it.

I am happy to celebrate it. Not only because I have reasons to but because I had a close encounter with someone who would rather curse the day she was born basing on her experiences these past days.

We had a brake-in in our place in Antipolo discovered late March. Unfortunately, the culprit was somebody close to us. And after the outrage... I realized she had all the reasons to do as she did.

I am not saying she was right to think it's the ONLY way. But I am not gonna pretend I fully understand where she was coming from. I for one has experienced little challenging times in my lifetime and my experiences are pale in comparison to hers.

She was crying. Obviously keeping a brave front. No, not only brave but stone-cold. Trying not to feel the hurt. Trying not to think of the inevitable consequence of her actions. Despite her efforts to apologize and appear remorseful, I can feel deep within her, she would rather tell us that during that time, she knew she was doing the only thing to do to feed her kids. At age 20, skinny, breasts sagging, back bent by hardships (physically and emotionally), skin battered by mosquito bites, with four kids and an irresponsible husband - there was no way out. Prison will be just another stop. Life is not treating her any better outside anyway.

Her posture reminded me of Golum from Lord of the rings. Maybe it was not only her posture. How she prefers to sit with her knees close to her chest: as if to protect her from further hurt. Maybe it was also because of her condition, she seem to feel less HUMAN now, with less freedom, left with no choice, despised.

I spent my birthday partly with her. And I discovered why birthdays are to be remembered. The day of our BIRTH should remind us of what we have been given and how we are invited to celebrate re-birth everyday.

I celebrated my birthday because I am given a chance to be reborn... and give that chance to somebody else as well.