Small Gatherings and Big Smiles

Greetings, fellow members of the Hive community. It's me, @supremooo, back again to share another memorable blog post. This event occurred just a year ago, and I'm eager to share it with you as it marks one of the important days I look forward to every year.

As a father, one of the unforgettable days that truly leaves a mark on your heart and mind is the day you first laid eyes on your child, which is the day that they were born.

As our child's birthday is drawing near, my partner and I talked about preparing a small gathering for our upcoming child's birthday. We decided that for now, it would just be our immediate family, along with our mother and siblings, who would come together to share meals in order to save money, especially with the increasing prices of goods.

When the day of our child's birthday arrived, we started preparing early in the morning. While we were getting ready, we were startled by an unexpected knock on our door. When I opened it, I found out it was the youngest child of our neighbor, holding a piece of cake brought by his mother to give to us.

We were still wondering why we were being given a cake, only to realize it was their sibling's birthday too. Upon receiving the cake, I expressed gratitude to our neighbor and called my child over to hand him the cake we received, whose smile reached ear to ear since it's one of his favorite treats.

Since we talked about having the gathering at dinner time, we made sure to set aside some time to get ready for our incoming guests. I allocated some hours for grocery shopping to purchase what we'll need for the event later. I made sure to prepare everything we'll need for later, such as the ingredients for the dishes we'll be cooking, like the ingredients for the pancit (Filipino noodle dish), which are believed to have longevity benefits, and of course, my child's requested favorite, spaghetti. As my partner and I decided to just order some food for my son's birthday, we didn't worry too much about cooking. Even though the designated time for the gathering hasn't arrived yet, some of my spouse's relatives have already arrived, including my siblings and in-laws. We thought only a few would come, so we were surprised to learn that her cousins, uncles, and aunts were also joining. I was briefly worried that our food might not be enough, but luckily, we decided to add more extra dishes. It's also good that my wife's relatives are fond of cooking, so they assisted us in preparing the additional dishes for the pancit and spaghetti.

---

Realizing that I still lacked some ingredients, I swiftly went to the market to acquire them. I also grabbed some soft drinks for later consumption and picked up a pizza to add to our evening preparations. After purchasing all the necessary ingredients, I quickly went home to provide the cooks with what they needed.

Just as I returned, the delivery rider called to inform us that they were outside to deliver our ordered dishes. So, I hurriedly went out and greeted the rider, who brought our ordered food. After acquiring the food, I settled the payment and swiftly returned to our house. Upon arriving home, my wife assisted me in preparing the food on the table. While waiting for the pancit and spaghetti to cook, we engaged in conversation with my wife's family. Soon after, the food was cooked, and everyone was called to begin the small gathering. Since the house we were staying in was small, our guests ended up crowded in one corner, resembling sardines, while others chose to eat outside.

---

---

---

We were really lucky that our prepared food didn't fall short, because I was slightly worried that our guests might not get enough to eat. Luckily, there was plenty of food left, and some guests even took leftovers home.

---

When I looked at my son, his smile was ear-to-ear, and we were jumping with joy. Seeing the happiness on my child's face made me happy too, because even though we didn't have an extravagant celebration for his birthday, he was delighted with the people who came and celebrated this important day in his life. And for me, seeing my child happy is already a huge source of joy.

And with that, my blog ends here. Until next time.