So, this is how it feels...

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It was an early call, darkness still covered the poorly lit highways, I had to tailgate a speeding delivery truck, to get a good speed. My elder daughter cautioned me to slow down, while my younger daughter was in deep slumber at the back seat. Nope, I said, I will lose my guide. Truck may be fast but that's St. Raphael, the Archangel showing me the way. Even with driving glasses, my vision is still, sigh, defective.. The parting hug at the drop-off bay of the departure area, NAIA 3 was tighter than usual. My daughter had been places but this is the first time she is venturing another continent at the other side of the world. At Narita Airport five hours later, she sent me a photo of her delayed lunch meal, a bowl of chicken teriyaki, with a caption: legit. I had a good laugh, for I did tell her not to go cheap on food. Narita food might be expensive but go partake genuine Japanese food. That's 900 yen, or 9 dollars, or 450 pesos. That's okay, I thought, considering Japan's economy and lifestyle. Said my Rosary again, for that was only the beginning of the 27 hour flight. By morning, a facebook post showed she was literally chilling in Detroit, awaiting a flight to Washington, DC. By lunch, I received message she has finally arrived. With chores set aside, errands attended to, I entertained musings about my daughter's achievements, this, by far, was the most exciting of all. Last week, she was at Marawi, and sigh, I would admit to anxiety. I couldn't help but admire the courage and determination, who would ever think she would get that special visa and fly to America, when so many Filipinos queue Roxas Boulevard to get one. It was probably her dream, for she has the wanderlust, but for her to make it happen, with no strings attached, all because of her dedication to her work and seriousness of purpose, sigh, I stand proud she is my daughter. But there is that special feeling, I couldn't think of an apt word, that feeling that comes from imagining that that once irrepressible girl has now truly spread her wings, literally soaring high, to a far distant place, as calm as an eagle, and I got to watch her do it on her own. I continued with my prayers, our good Lord keep her safe and blessed, for she deserves everything she is experiencing now. That's my daughter.