9 Wednesdays

It was my mom who first brought me to her 'home'. It was a Wednesday afternoon during one high school summer vacation. The trip to her place would take an hour or so. There were so many people in her house, each with a different story to tell, each with a different favor to ask. Almost everyone had a booklet with a mother and child as the cover. Once you got inside the house, you would see a mother's face. Her celebration would start and end with a hymn.

I've been a devotee of Our Mother of Perpetual Help since high school. Every summer vacation I would wait for Wednesday so I could go to Baclaran and attend the novena. I would remember asking Mama Mary to let me stay on the 'star section' all throughout high school,  and that was accompanied with other favors I want to receive. She gave almost all except for one.

Months before I went to College, while all the college entrance tests were out, I found out I did not pass DLSUCET. I went to St. Scholastica's College for the first semester and decided to transfer as soon as I finished the first four months of the school year. While I was waiting for my exam at DLSU for transfer applicants, I went to Baclaran one Wednesday and prayed that I pass the exam because if I did not, I would be going back to St. Scho and be an irregular student. I passed and eventually earned my degree at De La Salle University which happened to be my dream school.

Last Wednesday was my 9th day of devotion. I'd start another after this coming Wednesday. I'd always believe that a miracle would happen in my life very soon, just like the stories of the people that were chosen to be the letter of the day (in Baclaran, they would read a thanksgiving letter coming from a devotee).