Bea with her mom Mariasun
“Dearest Mama,
How do I love thee, let me count the ways.
I love you for being my first love. A love I have felt since I was first conceived in your womb.
I love you for sacrificing your last years in school to raise me, Rina, Agoo, and Miguel. For making us come first and for never once regretting it even if education was your passion.
I love you for always being by my side when I would get sick, most especially with German measles and when I had my convulsions.
I love you for being my biggest cheerleader from my first stage presentation to all my race finishes.
I love you for making me recognize and embrace my beauty within and for teaching me to celebrate me.
I love you for being so unconditional and for never judging my choices and decisions. You always knew what was best and correct but you always gave me room to figure out life on my own.
I love you for making our home one of love, peace, joy and beauty. It was a very important aspect of my solid and positive foundation growing up.
I love you for always reassuring me that everything will be all right, because it always is.
Thank you for being my Mom. I love you, always, always!”
Bea Azcuna
Athlete, daughter
Thank you for your tribute, Bea! Bea’s mother is Mariasun Asuncion Azcuna, She is the better half of former Supreme Court Justice Azcuna, She has retired from being a dean at St. Scholastica’s College and is now a Coordinator in Graduate School, MA Humanities Program, major in Women's Studies and also internal VP at the St. Scholastica's Alumnae Foundation.
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Trivia for you dear readers: Mother’s Day was started by Anna Jarvis from West Virginia in 1905. She organized the first service of worship at the Andrews Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which now serves as the International Mother’s Day Shrine.
She began her campaign the year her mother Anne Reeves Jarvis, died, 1905. In 1908, the US Congress refused the proposal of making Mother’s Day an official holiday, jokingly reasoning that they would have to make a Mothers-In-Law Day as well.
After an intense letter writing campaign they finally made it an official holiday in 1911. In 1914 then US President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day to be held every second Sunday of May. So the spirit of honoring mothers is now a worldwide special day!
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George with mama Beth
From singer, painter, and Rotary Archangels Club founder, George Tagle a short but meaningful tribute to his mother, Elizabeth Sison Tagle, civic leader, art collector, and culture buff.
“Mom, you are the heart and soul of our family. You’ve taught us how to love, how to forgive, and how to be kind. Your wisdom and guidance have been invaluable to us, and we are so grateful for all the sacrifices you’ve made to give us the best life possible. We love you more than words can express. Happy Mother's Day! I love you”
Lawyer Esther “Starr” M. Weigand J.D., sent us a moving tribute to her mother, Paz M. Eigand, retired Paco Catholic School teacher.
Starr with mommy Paz, or Neni
“The saying that people who have less in life give more has now become a generally accepted custom of everyday life. From any village or town across the world, images of smiling individuals amid a backdrop of hardship come to mind.
To me, one image stands out. She is a widow, having been left behind by a husband who passed away from his first heart attack at the age of 47, leaving her to raise four children, all making their way through school, with the youngest just barely out of kindergarten. She flashes a smile, and continues on, eager to work her way through life’s uncertainties to ensure her children get to the top. A few years later, life throws curveball after curveball—two cancer diagnoses, diabetes, a transient ischemic attack (TIA), pancreatitis, gall bladder issues. She also found herself losing her left leg due to a traffic accident in 2003. With all her medical trials, she now has one less leg and one less breast, and she no longer has her reproductive system and a gall bladder. Yet, she smiles, always ready to give to anyone who needs her.
She stands now, less several body parts and the love of her life, yet, somehow, in her eyes, she has the best. The best children (all of whom are college graduates, and one currently a lawyer), siblings, relatives, and friends. So yes, she has less in life, but she has so much more than what she lacks. In my eyes, she is the utmost, the best mother, and a best friend. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!