LOVE AS IT IS...

"They say life begins at 4o.Could love also begins at 40?"

I am forty years old and happily married to my husband for 12 years now. I am also a contented mother of three healthy children.

If life begins at forty, then I take exceptions. My life begun long time ago at age 23, to be exact. It begun when I met my husband.

 At 23, I begun to see life differently in a positive way. My husband was my first boyfriend,although not my first crush. He was the first man in my life, the first to rescue me when I fainted due to severe anemia. He was the first person to dare disagree with me and the first suitor to take the risk of facing my father one on one.

My husband was 20 then but there was something about him that was uncommon to others. I did not know then and I still do not know until now. All I know is that, that "something" in him is what keeps the magic between us; it keeps our bond stronger.

At age forty, I am still the apple of his eyes; still greets me with " I love you" every morning, though, I usually wake up ahead of him.

Thus, I conclude: Love begins when you start to see life differently. Love begins when ordinary and routinary things become extraordinary and special; when traffic noise becomes sweet melodies; when gloomy and humid weather feel like sea breeze from white sand beaches; when even in darkness you can still see stars and feel surrounded by blooms of scented flowers.

Love begins when you feel beautiful near him but miserable when he is not beside you.

Love is ageless, it does not fade and it gets better every day.

OF SONGS AND CHILDHOOD BLUES

"Music is the food for the soul. Songs are constant reminder of who we are, how we lived, loved and laughed".

I am the youngest in our family. At seven years old, I was already separated from our mother as I have to leave home with my sister to study in another place.

Many nights sent me sleepless. I was longing for the company and comfort of our mother.I was a typical child who was accustomed to sleeping very close to her mother. I cannot sleep without her gentle pats on my back and her signature lullabies.

Just when I was about to accept the situation and decided to momentarily keep at bay my longings, I got the surprise of my life. My sister suddenly filled in.

She would give me pats on my back, not as good as our mother's but enough to pacify my heartaches. She would hum songs, however different, sailed me through the nights.

My sister eventually became my surrogate mother. Since then, she was everything to me. My mother,sister,tutor,best friend and critic. I became totally attached to her, emotion wise.

She was the first to know when I attained puberty. I broke the news to her like I was afflicted with incurable disease. I was over confident when I told her of my first crush as I knew, she would be understanding. I would shout with joy and run towards her every time I would have milestones to my credit. She had ready shoulders for my little frustrations and open arms and heart for my shortcomings.

However, I went crazy when she told me that she was getting married. I broke down and lost control. I was oblivious of losing her. I could not seem to reciprocate the intangibles she has been giving me all along. But, she nevertheless got married.

Then, I was reunited with our mother. During this time, I realized that a mother's love is constant, unconditional, and enduring. I have grown up completely but mother's gentle pats and signature lullabies were still there with their same calm and comfort.

Through the years, I basked in the loving care of our mother and unconsciously imbibed in my system her signature lullabies which I would later on sing to my children. Mother's signature lullabies are treasures that remind me that I have only one mother;I never understood her until I became a mother myself, and my LONGING for her NOW is far greater than before as I truly understand the we will never be REUNITED again in this lifetime. I MISS HER SO MUCH.

LOVE, PREJUDICE AND BIASES

Love is faithful and patient... It has no prejudices nor biases. Love transcends religion...

Last week was the birthday of my friend Sasha. At 41, she has already gone through a lot of emotional roller coaster. Sasha is a Muslim married to a non-Muslim engineer. After finishing her high school, she was sent to a catholic school to study college where she met her husband and fell deeply in love with him.

Her parents vigorously objected to the relationship, but Sasha disobeyed them and eloped with her boyfriend. The parents, out of disgust and shame to the Muslim community, disowned her.

The husband of Sasha was gainfully employed, but when his company closed business, he was left unemployed. It was also during this time that Sasha developed complications from her last pregnancy which eventually drained their resources.

Sasha's parents wanted to get her back to the family on condition that she will leave her husband. But Sasha stayed with her husband. She said to me: "My husband is my life, since the day I met him, the magic has not changed.He still melts me with his loving stares and boyish gestures".

At present Sasha's husband is working abroad and they are picking up financially.

Sasha's story is too common, we have actually watched several movies, read same stories with the same theme but, Sasha's  story is still different. It has religious undertones of prejudice and bias towards "the others" who are not of the same tribal or religious affiliation.

Until this very moment, most of us has the social prejudice, if not the social stigma of not being "of the same kind".

Why Pink, of All Colors?

According to an architecture magazine, pink is a dominant color, but it can also be neutral depending on the other pairing-color.

The color pink is always associated with women and with love. Long ago, before the advent of the so called "metrosexuals", the pink color was exclusively associated with women and girls as blue is for men and boys.

A couture designer once described pink as a color of sweet seduction. Subtle, yet alluring. For me, pink is a versatile color. It complements any color from white to black.

Like the color pink or a touch of it, this blog is into myriad of topics such as work, relationships, politics, fictions and real stories...