Weekend Getogether: Simple Birthday Celebration

This weekend, we are celebrating the birthday of our third sibling. At first, we didn’t really plan anything special. It was supposed to be just a simple day with warm greetings, because my older sister, whose birthday it is, didn’t prepare any celebration. One of the reasons is that our family is also preparing for our mother’s upcoming operation, so we were trying to be practical and keep things simple for now.

Birthday girl:

However, our eldest sister, Ate Lelith, who is currently in Canada, surprised us. She sent a message in our family group chat saying that we should all go out and eat together—and that she would sponsor everything. She wanted us to celebrate even if she couldn’t be physically present. She suggested that we dine at Mani Mogu, a Korean restaurant where one of our previous celebrations was held, specifically during the birthday of our other sister, Ate Marilou. As you can see, our family has a lot of names to mention because there are many of us (lol).

The birthday girl this time is our sister Elenith. Even though the celebration is happening here in Cebu, not all of us can join. Some of our siblings went home to the province for vacation, so they won’t be able to come along. But those of us who are in Cebu will gather to celebrate the birthday and spend time together.

Despite not being complete as a family, we’re still grateful that we can come together this weekend. It has been a while since we last gathered, and moments like this always remind us how important family is. Even if we’re spread out in different places—some of us in the province and one of us abroad—our bond remains strong. Ate Lelith’s gesture of sponsoring the dinner made the day feel more special, and it reminded us that distance doesn’t lessen our connection as siblings.

We’re looking forward to enjoying the food, sharing stories, laughing together, and simply appreciating the chance to reconnect. Sometimes, even a simple meal becomes meaningful when you spend it with the people who matter the most. Life gets busy, and each of us has our own responsibilities, but days like this remind us to pause and cherish our family moments.

At least, this weekend, we get to gather again, celebrate a birthday, and strengthen our bond as siblings. Moments like these are truly priceless.

Thank you for taking the time to read. See you on my next blog.