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Two years ago, it was December. The air was cool, and the Christmas feeling was already there. That day is very special to me because my mother and Grandma Wilma were still with us. I can still see their big smiles at this time. My mother kept smiling because she couldn’t speak much English. But she still enjoys the moment. The garden was ready with tables and chairs outside. The barbecue smell was already everywhere in the garden. So yummy! The meat sizzling on the grill made everyone more excited for the food. Relatives started arriving, bringing food and drinks. Some came from nearby, and even our relatives from Singapore joined us. We are not always doing this get-together, so that day was special. When everyone was there, the laughter started, all had their own jokes that were so funny, I remember my stomach hurt from laughing too much.
We told old stories about the past. Sometimes people remembered things differently, and that made us laugh even more.After the food had cooked, we all started eating in the garden. We ate, joked while the kids ran around in the garden. Grandma took one bite and said, “This is better than any restaurant!” We all laughed kasi totoo naman. Then someone got the guitar, and we started singing together. My mom was smiling the whole time, kahit quiet lang siya. The sunset made the sky orange and pink—ang ganda. The whole garden felt so warm and happy. I didn’t know that I would be looking at these pictures and remembering back all that simple get-together with Mom and Grandma. My heart feels happy, but also a bit sad. This memory I will keep forever. It’s very important to love our family while they are still here, and to enjoy every moment—kahit simple lang—because those are the ones that stay in our hearts.