60th

It was a Sunday.

Food and balloons were ordered. Parlor games were prepared. Gifts for each of the guests were wrapped. Clowns and friends were invited. The cake was chocolate and the month was May.

If it were up to me, I would have preferred an overnight stay at the beach with the entire family and closest friends. But my mom and dad wanted something more special to happen for their 60th birthday. It seems to me they had wanted something like this to happen for quite some time.

My dad rented out a karaoke machine. Two of my mom's bestfriends arrived earlier to help us prepare the venue. We arranged the chairs and the tables. We scattered the balloons to make sure the atmosphere would be conducive for a party. We thought about what parlor games we could play, what prizes to give.

My Kuya invited his youth pastor friend who lead the kids to sing some action songs and read Joseph the Dreamer's story to the kids.

We played. We ate. We sang and we danced. We had fun with the kids.

We sang the happy birthday song for my parents.

They blew their candles and made a birthday wish.

-ooo-

It was a privilege and a great opportunity to throw a party not only for my parents but for the kids of the Tahanang Mapagpala in Bagumbong, Caloocan City as well. Some of the children were found wandering the streets, some have been left  by their own relatives at the shelters. And some, have become orphans.

Some of them smiled genuinely. Some, reluctantly. And some, would not smile at all. Most of them were hardly ten years of age, but their eyes seem to know so much more.

One of the kids, after hearing the youth pastor share about how God demonstrated His love for us through the life of Joseph cried inconsolably and asked me this: "If God loves me, why would He let my relatives abandon me and not come back for me?" I did not have an answer. But I silently said a prayer for her.

At the end of the party, we handed out gifts for the kids. The goodie bags had a toy, a toothbrush, a comb, a face towel, and some other personal hygiene items which we thought the kids needed. We knew they needed much more than that, but our resources were limited as well. What our goodie bags lacked, we tried to make up for by offering our prayers. A prayer of comfort and most especially of hope. A prayer that one day, the kids will be reunited again with their own families or become a part of a family that could provide them the love and care they need.

-ooo-

Two months later, also a Sunday, I saw a familiar face in the television. The show was Jessica Soho's Reunions. I watched in disbelief and amazement as I realized that the kid, who has been reunited with with his family through the help of the show, was among those who attended my parent's 60th birthday celebration.