The Last Memory I Have Saved For A Rainy Day

Remember that old story about the grasshopper and the ant? Perhaps some of you do. Honestly the continuous downpour of the rains from the past days, add to the fact that there were a lot of ants on the floor made me remember that revised grade school story which tells about the happy go lucky grasshopper and the industrious ant who was busy storing and saving up food for the coming winter (My grade school teacher had read a revised Filipino edition where the winter season was changed to the rainy days and based it on a Philippine setting). And if my memory served me right, the story started one summer time when a grasshopper greeted the day by singing and dancing his heart away yet failing not to notice his friend ant who was busy storing food for the coming rainy days.  He invited his friend to join him since the rainy days are still too far away but the ant explained that he need to keep going and not wait for that time when there is no more food to save away. In short the ant did not listen and ignored the grasshopper's pranks until one day when it started to rain that the grasshopper realized he did not have much time left to gather and save on food. And as he tried to survive the cold and hunger brought about his carefree days, the wise ant stayed indoors, safe and warm because he knew he had enough saved for the rainy days.

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In the Philippines, rainy days are felt from June to September the most and due to global warming that could even extend until December. Typhoons and floods had been a part of the country's catastrophe ever since I can remember. There was even a time that my parents and I had saved what ever we can spare. Funny thing was I did not literally have money to put in our piggy bank which was an emptied Johnson's baby powder. It was just bought mainly for my use which my dad fondly called as "my piggy bank."In fact I liked how heavy it felt and the sound it made each time I rattled its contents which was almost music to my ears until the day when my dad told me it was time to open it up because we needed the money to buy some food and candles due the coming typhoon.That was the last memory I have when my family had saved for a rainy day.

Lately I have not been blogging because my mom was confined again for more than two weeks in two hospitals. From the town's district hospital she was transferred to a private one that has an ICU where she was monitored for almost a week. She had three doctors because she had a mild stroke, a mild heart attack and respiratory tract infections where the complications greatly reduced her oxygen and hemoglobin level. She was in oxygen for two weeks and had to have blood transfusion because she became anemic. I went on LOA for eight days, leaving my six kids with my husband's care and took care of my mom together with my sister in law and my eldest daughter who had put on hold all her job applications just to be a caregiver for my mom. During those two weeks my two siblings abroad worked and called non stop so they could send the money. My brother worked on a 12 hour shift in Saudi Arabia including his rest days and my sister doing odd jobs in the US while I literally spent most of my last salary to pay my mom's hospital bills confinement at the district hospital and asked help from my former classmates. It was a grueling and very emotional period in our lives that I even thought my mom would not make it. Even the doctors who interviewed my daughter and sister in law about my mom's medical history also could not believe about the series of mild strokes she had survived and  commented that though she may be 78 years old,she is still moving up and about. Miraculously her CT Scan proved normal and the rest of her lab tests. With the help of prayers from family and friends, kind and encouraging doctors, nurses and medical staff, even from old classmates and my mom's students, we were able to survive.

Now that my mom's memory is back, she keeps asking how much was the hospital bills. Since I know for a fact that she is as sharp as ever, I jokingly told her that such information is classified and the minute she is (very) well enough to walk and take care of herself again, she might know the answer. That would mean that the sooner she gets well the better and I know she understood. It maybe a long time for my family to get back on our feet from our financial worries, but what matters most is my mom is still here. And even though financial problems come and go, it is never too late to save not only for the rainy days. It maybe difficult at the start and would entail a lot of hard work but once you get the hang of it, every small accomplishment will be a milestone.

Besides, I have always thought that financial independence come to those who believe in it.