For Sister Betty on Her Birthday

we'd lived together
in a small "nipa" house
with Amang and 'Nang Baket
and Manang Anding and her young
family within a big, yet struggling, family
of ours, remember, my dear and loving Manang?
those days with our neighbors, relatives, your friends
those fond moments-memories to cherish and linger on
and we survived the challenges and changes and the struggles
we encountered, experienced, overcame all the hardships and turmoils
like everybody else, we aspired, believed, dreamed, kept our hope and faith
while one by one of our family went his/her ways to find his/her niche under the sun
we stayed together, then moved on to places new and foreign, at first, to you and me
we each got settled, built our own families, but kept in touch and shared our life's nuances
in spite of the distance in time and space, we've remained the best ever siblings we can be
in sickness or in health, in war or in peace, in all calamities that befall us, we remain strong and in unity
with our family, with the rest of humanity, because of the strong, flexible bond we have as brother and sister.
yes, Manang Betty, you're special to me because you have a heart that is always capable of caring and loving.
I thank you so much, Sister, for always being there for us all, for being the best Sister in the whole wide world. may God bless you, and shower you with all the blessings you so deserve! I love you, my caring and loving Sister Betty.