The Pia Butter

A letter to Pia:

Dear Pia.

This morning I break fast with you and your Papa in our brand new dining set, while Micah was in your bedroom playing. I saw with my eyes how you slowly blossom from a toddler into a little girl, your independence and maturity in place. After giving you your morning bath, toweling you dry, making you cry by refusing your pleadings to put on the dirty green dress that you are currently obsessed with, hugging you for comfort and sitting you down next to me at the breakfast table, you surprised me as you asked for the bread and proceeded to put peanut butter spread on it. I had gotten so used to preparing your food for you.

Pia having breakfast.

Papa and I exchanged glances full of emotions and veiled thinly with tears we were desperately trying to hold back... To top it, you exclaimed, "Pia Butter!" - Papa and I burst out laughing. With wise eyes, you smiled at the both of us, silently conveying, "I know it's peanut butter but i wanna call it Pia butter".

Pia's peanut butter (brand: Peter Pan).

Pangga, it is these little moments that i like to go back to when I am old and when my hair is white. Moments of pure joy mixed with a hint of sadness. Joy for the maturity you've reached every time and sadness for the loss of your dependence which falls from my hands in trickles. These moments are the butter to the bread of life... Did that make any sense at all to you, Pia? All I'm saying is that without the butter - without the Pia butter (and the Micah butter, too!) - life would be as bland as solo bread.

I love you, Pia

Mama