Today I have no expectations of anything, so everything is a bonus. It could just be me and my kids eating ice cream in the park and I would still celebrate my day.

32 years ago at exactly 6:30 in the morning of March 11, my mom gave birth to me. It’s not just happy birthday to me, it's more of happy giving birth to my mom. Thank you so much for the life. I really miss you so much especially on special days like this. If there's any wish that I can think of right now, though it's impossible, I sincerely wish to celebrate it with you.

Back when I was younger I remember how excited I am about my birthday. Why? Because of the presents, the sweets that you can enjoy all day long, your favorite food on the table and almost everyone is very nice to me and they are treating me extra special. As I grow older I find that a few things about birthdays change dramatically as we age. Birthdays become less and less exciting, then adult life and responsibilities get in the way, celebration may be the last thing on my your mind. Why? My eldest daughter just had her birthday and my youngest birthday is just 16 days away from mine, so I’d rather save up and prepare something nice for her birthday.

Here are some of the birthday greetings I received.

And of course the food!!

Today I reflect on my journey, I took a moment as I pat myself at the back, I looked into the mirror as I admire the strong and amazing woman in front of me. She’s been through a lot this year, the heartache and the struggles. She manages to smile through the pain and more so she can even make people laugh at her silly jokes. She deserves recognition, right?