A Week Full of Love, Milestones and Miracles

Truly, a gathering of grace — and the wedding of a lifetime.

My Heart Is Overflowing

These past few days have been a beautiful kind of whirlwind — the kind that leaves you breathless, grateful, and quietly in awe that so much love could fit inside such a short span of time.

My youngest sister got married (yes – our Amazonian warrior, spoiled softie bunso!) and while part of me itched to immortalise it into words immediately, God was just unfolding blessings faster than I could catch them.

. . .

Filipino by heritage. UAE by childhood. Family forever.

Right before and right after the wedding, the very people who witnessed my beginning — my Bestest and childhood friends, including my cousins who had moved to the USA —

returned to my world once more.

Full or mixed in heritage, we were kids of Filipino expats – born and raised in the UAE, growing up side by side, and united in memory.

Seeing them again, some with their parents and spouses and children too,

felt like time exhaled and wrapped us gently in remembrance.

We laughed, ate, prayed and reminisced as though no decade had passed since 2004 – the year I became the first to leave the UAE to attend university in the Philippines. 

It felt like God pressed pause on adulthood and gave us one fleeting moment of wholeness — the kind you hold delicately for a lifetime.

. . .

My Sister’s Wedding — A Holy Gift

Beijin and Shoti's wedding was everything — emotional, chaotic in the sweetest ways, full of family, full of faith, and overflowing with grace.

Seeing her walk toward Shotie,

witnessing the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony unfold before our eyes,

felt like God whispering:

“I am here — in every vow, in every step, in every detail.”

And as if the blessing of marriage wasn’t enough, there was more.

. . .

The After-Party That Felt Like Coming Home to Myself

After the ceremony came the after-party — and to me, it was just as precious.

It was where I finally got to catch up with Bestest, my BFF since birth;

and her sister Shei, another dear childhood friend woven into the earliest chapters of my life.

We talked between chasing our very active kids — snacks in one hand, tiny shoes in the other — messy, noisy, unfiltered motherhood, and somehow the most magical kind of reunion.

Our children found each other the way we once did — organically, naturally, beautifully.

My firstborn approached Shei’s eldest,

“I'm seven. How old are you?”

“I’m seven and a half!”

Cue in squeals — instant belonging.

Seven and seven-and-a-half.

History repeating in miniature.

Friendship reincarnating itself.

I hadn’t seen Bestest and Shei since my own wedding almost a decade ago,

since life carried them across oceans to Canada — so through laughter and chaos and sticky little hands, I was in gentle, grateful tears.

Time changed us — but did not erase us.

. . .

My Kids’ Joint Birthday

Then came the 23rd — an impressive spread by Shakey's Pizza, from the stunning stage setup to the scrumptious buffet joyfully shared with friends and relatives and college mates. A celebration of life and growth and giggles.

I was already full.

But heaven had one more joy to deliver...

. . .

And Then — An Engagement Eleven Years in the Making

Because that same day, our youngest cousin sister got engaged

to her love of eleven years, Kev!

Eleven years of choosing each other – through seasons of abundance, seasons of stretching — and now, finally, forever begins.

Another milestone. Another blessing. Another layer of grace.

. . .

So Many Blessings, All at Once

In only a few days, God gave us:

💍 A wedding blessed by sacrament

🎂 A double birthday bubbling with joy

💍❤️ An engagement long awaited

🛬 Childhood friends reunited

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families whole again

How often does life gather this many joys in the same breath?

Almost never.

And that is why my heart could burst —

because I know God gathered us with intention, with tenderness, with love.

. .  

A Moment That Became Legacy

Somewhere in the middle of it all, I had a moment I will carry always:

I told my husband how happy it made me that he finally met the people who mean everything to me — the ones who knew me first, loved me first, and will always be part of the family we are building together.

My heart felt full watching him meet the people who raised me and shaped me, the ones who carried me through childhood and beyond, the ones who built the foundation of the life we now share.

It truly felt like two parts of my world finally coming together.

This wasn’t just a wedding —

it was legacy unfolding.

. . .

A Rare Gift of Togetherness

We are older now — parents, professionals, scattered across oceans and obligations.

Life no longer aligns the way it once did.

And so this gathering was a miracle — a grace-filled reunion, a once-in-a-lifetime moment we will speak of for years.

To be together again was more than happiness — it was healing.

It was the quiet mending of years and distance.

It was completeness — like God gathered every missing piece and returned us to each other whole.

Because we may never be this complete again — and instead of sadness, that truth gives me gratitude.

Grateful that God allowed it. 

Grateful that we witnessed it.

Grateful that this blessed week will live forever in our hearts.

. . .

Grateful Beyond Words

I am grateful for:

✨ Childhood friendships that survived oceans and time

✨ Sisters stepping into their forever

✨ An engagement eleven years in the making

✨ My daughters embraced in love and belonging

✨ Laughter that felt like home

✨ Memories I will treasure always

Lord, thank You — for every milestone, every reunion, every answered prayer.

For weaving joy across generations.

For giving us a week full of love, holiness and grace.

My cup is overflowing. 

Truly. Utterly. Overflowing.

This was not just a week.

Not just a celebration.

Not even just a wedding.

It was a visitation of grace. A reminder that love is lineage, family is forever,

friendship is inheritance, and matrimony — at its holiest — is a gift beyond imagination.

Truly, the wedding of a lifetime.