"Ikaw ang buhay ko (You are my life)"

Last Sunday (May 9), Cerg and I attended a special gathering of members of a Christian Couples organization in Tokyo.  The programme was composed of two parts - a lecture and a "socializing".

The lecture was very inspiring and soul-nourishing.  The "socializing", a wholesome dinner party featuring soothing songs and extremely fun parlor games, was equally remarkable.

As last Sunday was also "Haha no Hi" or Mother's Day, officers of the organization thought of giving a pleasant surprise to the mothers through the help of their kids.  And so the children gave their mothers t-shirts that they themselves designed and adorned with cute drawings and touching messages.

One of the highlights of the event was the husbands' giving of flowers to their partners in a ceremony that can rival Oscar Awards night.  In that ceremony, each couple was called to the front and the husband presented his wife a rose/carnation prepared by the officers of the organization. In addition to the giving out of roses, some gave special messages, hugged, or even kissed their wives.  Although others might think such kind of display of affection as too corny, cheesy, or even passé, most if not all members thought it was wonderful.

It was interesting how each husband conveyed his message to his wife.  Some greeted with the usual "Happy Mother’s Day" or "I love you".  The more atypical ones thought of unique messages like "patulugin ng maaga ang mga bata mamaya" ("put the kids early to bed tonight").  Others took the opportunity to express gratitude or apologize to their wives.  One husband even made the audience cry for the sincerity of his apology.

Perhaps the most memorable message is that of a senior Japanese who spoke in Tagalog and said to his wife, "Ikaw ang buhay ko (You are my life)". Simple but sweet!