“Ma, This One’s for You”

by Mark

When I was 10, I wasn’t playing with toys or sleeping in on weekends. I was out before the sun, carrying a basket of bread through the streets. “Pan de sal, mainit pa!” That was my daily chorus, hoping someone would open their gate and buy a few pieces so we could afford a simple meal.

Behind those early mornings was you — Ma Jinky.

You were always up before me, hands deep in dough, hair tied up, wearing that old apron with flour stains that somehow made you look like a superhero. You never complained, even when your back hurt, even when the earnings were small. You just smiled and said, “Kaya natin ’to, anak.”

You taught me more than how to earn — you taught me how to endure. How to give with love, even when you had so little left for yourself.

At 12, I stopped selling bread. But I never forgot those mornings — the way you’d fix my shirt before I left, the way you’d pray quietly while I walked out the door. You believed in me even when we had nothing but faith.

Now I’m in Dubai, standing in front of a classroom full of kids with big dreams. And every time I teach, I remember you — because you were my first teacher. My first believer.

This Mother’s Day, I just want to say:
Ma, I carry every lesson you gave me. Every warm piece of pan de sal we sold was a step toward this life you dreamed of for me. You baked bread, but more than that — you built a future. Thank you. I love you.

#GateioMothersDay alltheLove #amothersLove