When I first thought about living in Manila, I knew I had to give up and leave some things in Davao. I was thinking of my material possessions then – my clothes, my printer (yes, I love it that much), my car, the liberty of not doing chores, and so much more. But I never thought that I was actually leaving my family behind.

I won’t be hypocritical and say money and material things can’t make me happy, because they do. But what I realized, living on my own, is that the happiness these things give, is nothing compared to actually being with my family.

Sundays, back in Davao, is sacred because it’s our family day. We all go to church together and have meals together. To cure my homesickness, I also went out on Sundays, on my own this time, hundreds of kilometers from home, and dined at restaurants we usually go to, and shopped a little, just like what we usually do, but it does not feel the same at all.

I remember one time we went to Subic for my birthday, and we ended up having dinner on the road at Seven Eleven. We were eating reheated food for my birthday dinner, but because I’m sharing the meal with my family, I was still happy. What I’m gonna say is so cliché, but I’ll say it anyway because it’s really true; It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, what matters is who you’re with.

To my family, if ever you dropped by and read this, I hope you know I love you. ❤️