My Tatay (father) shed in tears. (Missing Christmas with us)

Christmas time for us, Filipinos, should suppose to be celebrated with families, physically present on the event of the celebration, but as of my Tatay (father), he celebrates it all alone, lonely without us.

We had a chat with Tatay yesterday evening. As I utter all the things we have prepared for Christmas, I was suddenly stopped for some time because there were tears on his face. And I asked, "What happen Tatay?". He said that he misses us so much and that his Christmas in the far away country is so lonely because there is no us in there to celebrate the meaning day with him.

I felt so lonely for a moment because every Christmas even those times when "Mama" (mother) is still around, we used to celebrate Christmas with all the love and happiness, lots of laughters and smiles, love and care. But now, my Tatay is on the other part of the globe, working for us as well. If I am that rich, I could have let Tatay be here with us this Christmas. I miss him so much. I wish I could embrace him personally for real. But distance permits us to be like this with our family because of our dreams. I know someday, I will be there personally for him and we could all spend our Christmas together with my sisters and my stepmother.

It is quite a sad fact that there are parts of our lives that we need to sacrifice for the fulfillment of our dreams and the realizations of them. My father is really old. He is 68 years old and 2 years from now, he will be turning 70. In that age, he should have traveled the world. But someday, I know I can make it for Tatay to be happy. It is just I miss him so much. He likes to eat Philippines' native foods like "Suman", "Bibingka", "Puto", "Banana-Q" and all those vegetables meal. He said that people in where he is right now celebrate Christmas like formally, there is silent everywhere in the place. And I was saying him that "Tatay, maybe you could spend Christmas loudier there." You have to sing the karoake. And he said, "It is totality different when you all are here to celebrate Christmas with me". That moment, I am almost in tears but I hold it because I don't want him to feel so much frustrated and lonely if he will see me crying too.

After we chat, that is the moment, I blew out. I cried.

I love my Tatay so much and I know one day, we will be together with my sisters and my stepmother again. I know it will surely come.