There are so many things to celebrate; birthdays, good grades, promotion, winning the lottery, wedding anniversaries and seeing your high school nemesis look way fatter than you are some of the most favored. I'm kidding about the last one. Sort of.
What about celebrating the things that are often overlooked? The fact that you still breathe, eat more than five times a day and being given opportunities that are not afforded to some deserves equal attention as well. Despite my shallow obsessions, I do think about these things all the time. I guess that's what aging does to you.
My mother told me that the best way to create instant euphoria is by making others happy. I grew up with this thinking and my husband as well. From time to time, we test that theory, and the latest was two days ago at White Cross Orphanage.
White Cross Orphanage was inaugurated on September 10, 1938. It was originally established to be a shelter for the kids of tuberculosis patients. President Manuel L. Quezon was present at the inauguration along with his wife, Aurora Aragon Quezon. Ironically, President Quezon died of tuberculosis himself.
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President Quezon's autographed portrait adorns the wall of the main building.
WCO is now home to dozens of orphans, kids of financially challenged mothers, kids that are products of sexual abuse, children of prisoners and those who are just simply abandoned by their parents. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt. I don't know what they've been through nor what paved them to do such a thing. Just because I've been dealt with different cards doesn't mean that I am holier-than-thou. But still, that's a really crappy thing to do.
There's something really creepy about an empty playground, don't you think?
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Since there wasn't any birthday to celebrate that day, I decided to just put smileys on all the cakes for the kids. I planned the celebration via the Birthday Budget Planner site then went to a nearby Red Ribbon shop to have them made. If they have dedication cakes at the shop, they can create one in less than 10 minutes. But, for more than 10, you have to order them two days prior to the event.
The site was a breeze to use, but since doing the virtual cake is limited to text, I just printed out a blank cake and drew a smiley on it. They turned out to be really cute! The kids loved it! Big bonuses: delicious and inexpensive. Win-win!
One of the WCO staff asked me if these were their new supply from Red Ribbon. I got confused so I asked her to elaborate. She told me that Red Ribbon gives them a monthly {or weekly - I forgot} supply from the main branch. I told her that these weren't it.
The staff of the RR branch where I got these were so helpful, by the way. They called me up the day before, then called me up again a few hours before we picked up the cakes. They didn't even ask me where I was gonna bring all the cakes. Surely it would've piqued the interest of some. They stayed professional and just said "thank you" and "stay happy, Ma'am." I didn't get it at first, then after a few seconds, it hit me - the smileys.
I thought all the kids would come down to eat, but less than half of them did because some had sore eyes and the others had cough & colds. Those that did, however, overstuffed themselves with these cakes! Messy faces, dirty fingers and lots of smiles dominated the afternoon.
They asked us when we're going back to bring more food. They have a special request for the cakes: candles. I forgot to ask for those. Blowing candles is as fun as eating the cakes, regardless of whether you are celebrating something or not. Next time, kids.
It was a simple event made great by the kids saying 'Thank You' with enthusiasm and sincerity. I salute the staff of White Cross, by the way. You don't need to go to war or die to be considered a hero, you know? What these people do every single day takes a lot of fortitude, I tell you.
I'm raising two boys {good boys at that} and once in awhile I still get overwhelmed by my responsibilities, bang my head against the wall while screaming "whyyyyyyyy!" They are raising 100 kids {to date}. Majority of the kids are well-behaved and well-mannered. So, yeah, they are doing great.
I'm hoping that doing things like this will get me a ticket to heaven. I'm kidding! Sort of.
Truth is, no matter how much I want to, I can't treat God to the best restaurant as a sign of thanks or buy him a great pair of shoes. I mean, that would be so much easier. Prayers are good, but you have to follow the talk with some walk...once in awhile, at least.
And yes, Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" was on repeat in mind the whole time. I'm that dramatic.
Onward and Upward!
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