Cousins

I've had a wonderful childhood. Though I didn't grow up in the same house with my siblings, our family always get together, we'd play and hang with my cousins.

I was just telling Dawter T about Flores De Mayo where the girls in the family would offer flowers to Mother Mary. We'd dress in white and wait for our queue that it's time to walk down the church aisle. Afterwards, we'd head home and feast on some merienda. Then, we'd play. It was so much fun! Sometimes the boys would come but most of time the little ladies would just play "bahay-bahayan", "titser-titseran", "taguan" or "patintero".

I was the eldest in my generation so they were a bit wary of me. I was the bossy "ate". Even the boys would always try to get on my good side. Mind you, my boy cousins were a rowdy bunch. Add my brother to that and it would be mayhem! Hahaha!

I remember the quiet afternoons at the grotto where we would try to catch tadpoles. Or the times we would make green juice (mula sa dahon ng gumamela) and mud cakes (putik!) and use that as our pretend food. I also remember forming secret societies and clubs. How cute!

I wrote this because I miss them. We're in different places in our lives now. But, I want to pull back some of the time and peek in one Christmas where we're so happy to get our aguinaldos from the grannies and put it in our new wallets hahaha Or one outing where we stayed in the water until we're like prunes.

How I took those times for granted! Wish there's a way to go back in time. Hehehe...