Cheers to Life, Cheers to Everyday
October 31, 2016
Time flies! It’s been two years
since Bunso was diagnosed with Mild Autism Spectrum Disorder and it happened 16
days before his fourth birthday. I already shared it through a blog post only
last year when I felt that it was the right time. I also wouldn’t forget how we
celebrated Bunso’s birthday then and it was only on this day that I was able to
share it.
Our family is not used to
celebrating birthdays or special occasions by throwing huge parties. Paps and I
are not comfortable having these maybe because both of us belong to families
that prefer intimate celebrations.
During Bunso’s fourth birthday,
we prepared something simple that we thought would make him feel very special.
We let Kuya plan the entire surprise simple birthday party not just
because he insisted but also we wanted him to use his creativity to show his
baby brother how he really cared.
On the day before the
celebration, Kuya showed me the birthday card that he was making for Bunso. He
was so excited to tell us that he started doing it during his free time in
school and he would still do the finishing touches later. While he wasn’t
looking, I asked Paps, “Did you tell him to do that?” Then Paps replied that he
didn’t. How sweet of Kuya!
Kuya continued decorating the
birthday card diligently. Right after finishing it, he handed it to me and
said, “Mama, I know that Ice doesn’t know how to read yet. Will you keep this
for me? When he knows how to read, can we show this to him?” I couldn’t help
myself to cry while reading Kuya’s message and laughed out loud thereafter.
I hugged him and said, “Thank
you, Kuya! You’re such a sweet brother. Ice will surely love and appreciate
this. When the time comes that he knows how to read and understands what you
mean, I am going to show this to him definitely."
The following day, I mentioned to Bunso upon waking up that it was his birthday and Paps and Kuya would have a surprise upon arrival in the afternoon. He patiently waited and he was very sad because Paps and Kuya went home late. His sadness
faded away and he jumped with joy when he saw the small chocolate cake and
Pancit Bilao that they were handling. We set up our dining table and prepared
his “handa”, sang the Birthday Song,
and ate together as a family. Bunso was very conscious with getting messy that was why he kept on wiping his face with Cheers, one of our most trusted and favorite tissue brands made of 100% virgin pulp, no artificial whiteners and elemental chlorine, truly hygienic and safe for my family. He also gave each a few pieces for wiping our mouths while eating. Moving on, while doing so, we could see in his eyes how happy he was! For a
child who could barely talk and express his emotions, his smile was indeed
priceless!
After the salu-salo, Kuya showed his first gift, a shape sorter, and Bunso
opened the box quickly. He was so excited to play with it. When he felt
bored, Kuya handed him his second gift, a ball. If Bunso was happy
receiving his first gift, on this one he was more excited! He was not yet
capable of expressing his gratitude and longing towards his brother and I was
glad that Kuya didn’t wait anymore for his baby brother to say “Thank you” and initiated
to play with him immediately without being told to do so.
I watched blissfully as my
two boys played together with their Paps. I felt so proud of Kuya for doing the
best of his ability to plan Bunso’s frugal birthday party and for making him
happy despite not being sure how his brother would reciprocate the time and
effort that he exerted in that thoughtfulness of his.
From that day on, living with a family
member with Mild Autism Spectrum Disorder becomes very challenging everyday but
we learn how to celebrate life not just during special occasions but anytime, everywhere
daily. We appreciate simple things, joys, triumphs, milestones, blessings, and
even trials that come our way. We believe that there is always beauty in
everyday no matter how bad the situation it seems. We learn to
be more patient, forgiving, understanding, and loving to one another. We become more generous of our time more than with material things especially with Bunso
who needs it the most.
We extend our efforts in all aspects. We do our best to become the best version of ourselves. We are contented with what we have but never contented with who we are. Our family life is not perfect but we always see beauty in that imperfection. Oprah Winfrey once said, “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” It’s happening. It’s so true. There is always a reason to have “Cheers to life, cheers to everyday!”
We extend our efforts in all aspects. We do our best to become the best version of ourselves. We are contented with what we have but never contented with who we are. Our family life is not perfect but we always see beauty in that imperfection. Oprah Winfrey once said, “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” It’s happening. It’s so true. There is always a reason to have “Cheers to life, cheers to everyday!”
A photo posted by SJ Valdez (@allaroundpinaymama) on
