Kumusta si Inay?

 Kumusta na si Nay?

Because people know I spend half of the year in the US to be with Nay, the first thing I am usually asked these days is “Kumusta na si Nay?”

Nay is doing great, she is still so amazing. Paglaki ko, gusto ko maging tulad nya. How to be you po?

She is so blessed with a very strong mind. She manages her finances still. One of the places I drove her to before I left last month was to her appointment with the tax folks. She pays her bills online and would only need assistance when she needs to talk to someone on the phone. But this was before she had her hearing aid. Now she can again manage talking to people on the phone.

She finally decided to have a hearing aid. She was loving her peace and quiet and was happy enough with “selective hearing”. But she realized there would be some advantages to having an aid especially for some transactions on the phone. Bonus is she could listen in now to conversations around her, if she chooses to. We even joked about getting a hearing aid without telling everyone. We laughed so much just thinking about that scenario. 

She tells me that the world is actually noisy - she now hears the humming of the appliances in the house, she can hear when the rice cooker or the oven alarm sounds off, she can hear when someone is trying to open the door using the code or when someone has dropped a package. Even the television is noisy as she got used to just reading the captions. When the housekeepers arrive, she does not put on her hearing aid as the noise is just too much for her. The gardeners who come once a week are also noisy. Now I appreciate her love for her peace and quiet. She is actually very happy to say before the end of the day that she will remove her hearing aid already and will not be in a hurry to put it back on in the morning. Now she has an option.  

Nay has always resisted using a wheelchair and would get up on her two feet and walk, no matter how slow she gets now. She does not even use a walker around the house because she can hold on to something if she needs to - the benefit of having a small house 😉. She uses a walker when we go to the doctor, the dentist, or the supermarket. But we go more often to Trader Joe’s because it is a lot smaller than most places. And she could go browse around the whole store and see everything she wants to buy - the dutch griddle cakes, the mango ice cream, the vegetable gyoza, the fruits and vegetables, the special breads, etc. Now I see the wisdom in insisting on walking. She is 91 and she walks!

Nay decided to stop driving this year, at 91. She still has the license but she finally heeded her doctor’s advice to avoid driving already. She has always loved her independence. She told me years ago that in the US, she could just up and go - just get in her car and drive to wherever she wants or needs to go. In the Philippines, she has to wait for someone to drive her to wherever. It helps that now she can order things online and get most of the things she needs delivered right at her doorstep. Because of her very strong mind, she has kept up with technology. I remember she got herself an iPad when it was first launched and she even gifted me with my own iPad because I was already in my 60’s and I still did not own one 🤪🤪🤪. Technology has helped Nay a great deal in coping with the sense of loss of independence when she decided to give up driving.  

Nay has embraced the digital reader versus the actual book. She loves to read but holding a book has become uncomfortable already especially when she is reading in bed. She was starting to watch TV more than read a book. But with the Kindle and the ease of buying the books she wants, she reads more now. I introduced her to the ReadScripture app for her bible reading and she is now way ahead of me. She reads all the books I would recommend and even gives me reviews. Someday I hope to be as voracious as she is.

She still loves watching TV - her daily shows include the local news and the national and international news as she is very much interested in what’s going on in the world, the long running Jeopardy as it keeps her mind sharp and she loves watching the smart guys like her, her cooking shows, and whatever series she would start on. And of course, our all time favorite - hallmark movies! We still love the beautiful stories about good people in this world.

Though technically Nay lives alone, where she enjoys her peace and quiet and the familiarity of her home and her routine, she is actually surrounded by family. Her youngest son Ron lives right beside her, checks on her in the morning, has lunch and dinner with her every day and watches the news with her every night. Her grandkids and great grandkids drop by her house 2 to 3 times a week at least, and have dinner with her after school. And her other children also come and visit as often as they could. The family celebrates each and everyone’s birthday with a cake and a dinner with Nay - there’s more than enough celebration spread throughout the year. There is almost no dull moment in Nay’s house in Coney.  

And I am lucky enough to finally be able to spend half of the year in Coney and be part of all the family celebrations with Nay. On mother’s day, there will again be dinner in Coney. I will not be there, but in spirit I am. I will never tire of celebrating Nay on Mother’s Day. She is amazing - she has been a mother for almost 70 years now. She was just a kid 70 years ago - she practically grew up with us. Imagine having 9 children, 17 grandchildren, and almost 15 great grandchildren (yes, one more on the way). Add all the other children (our cousins and friends) who call her Nay because she mothered them too. Imagine what she has gone through as a mother in the past 70 years!  

Kumusta na si Nay? You wouldn’t believe how great she is, how she finds something to laugh about and to be grateful for all the days of her life, how she loves us all and prays for us all every single moment she could. We are truly blessed we have Nay.  

Happy Mother’s Day po Nay. Mahal na mahal po namin kayo.