"Bida si Mama" a feature writing contest

Here is my daughter's entry...

We have heroes we look up to and respect and they have their own Heroes' Day, but what we sometimes fail to realize is that there's more than a hero who's just beside us: our mother. So as we celebrate the Mothers' Day, let's remember their simple heroic deeds.

As for me, my mother is a 36- year old cheerful and very outgoing woman. She's indeed beautiful for she had joined in many beauty pageants and won some of them. She's has a very strong personality which I really admire though I can't be as tough as her. Behind her tough attitude, she really has a good heart for her family and friends. She finished a degree in Library Science which really suits her. She is fond of going to book fairs and she is extremely fast in reading books. She has two children and I'm the eldest. The other is a boy.

She had been a librarian in international schools in the Philippines but before I stepped on the 6th grade, she left for the United States. There she is currently working as a librarian in a Law school. She always comes back here in the Philippines for a short period of time at least once a year. But she wasn't able to come for my grade school graduation and that made me very sad. And when I passed third year with first honors, which is unexpected for I came from behind, she told me she couldn't come because of work. And I felt sad once again. As the day of the Recognition came, and my name was called for my medals, my fellow honor student said, "Kyla, your Mom!!!", and I looked at her unbelievably. She repeated it and pointed out to the side of the hall, and when I looked at that part, there I saw my mom, walking fast towards the stage to catch up with me and my father to receive the medals. At that instant, I cried, in front of the audience and even they were touched about my mother's surprise. The story behind the great timing is that her flight was delayed and it took long before she left the airport, and our school is at least an hour's travel. It's funny to think that if ever she came even a minute late, she could've missed that moment. She stayed only for a week but that's understandable because of her work.

As I stepped in the fourth year it has been a great mystery for me if she will come for my graduation for if she can't, she will have already missed two graduations. Before Christmas, she told me to choose when I want her to come: Christmas or Graduation. Of course, I chose the latter one. Then she told me her conditions: she can't promise me that for she has just begun her second work. What is sure is that she can come for Christmas which means she will not come for my graduation. So we spent Christmas together. Then March came and so is the awaited announcement of the graduating class' honor roll. I was not expecting that I will be the Valedictorian, but when it's confirmed I was really happy but sad at the same time for my mama couldn't come. March 25, 2006 is our graduation day. As I slept the night before, I hoped that my mama would surprise me as what she did before. But on that most awaited day, at past 1 in the morning, I woke up to see my mama in front of me. As I saw her though unclearly, I hugged her and uttered; "Mama..." and slept again. After some time, I woke up completely and me and my brother were eager to see our pasalubong and to hear mama's story of surprising us. So in my graduation day, my mama was there though she stayed for only 5 days. I got the best gift from my mama on my graduation: her PRESENCE!!!

These were the stories I will never forget. Because even at times I thought that my brother is her favorite and I’m not that important, now I realize that I am really love... =)