In 2 months, this boy will graduate from an agriculture course from a respected school in my province. It's not a degree, but it might end the cycle of poverty in their family in which his siblings are still trapped. When Mama and I decided to put him back to school maybe 7 years ago, he couldn't even read. I thought--can I really pay for his education? But I gained strength from the fact that I've been our breadwinner the day after I graduated. At 21 years old I was already responsible for 4 people. I said to myself, "challenge accepted!" And I could not be more proud for having made that decision. Soon, he can have better prospects in terms of livelihood, he'd be able to tend farms with his new-found technical know-how to add to the hands-on farming experience he's had all his life. In these 10 years since we took him in, he has looked after my bedridden father and now my mama--who is also getting older faster than I'd like. Sabi nila masarap daw magpa-graduate ng kamag-anak. But I'd like to note na ung magpa-graduate ng hindi mo kaanu-ano-- is surprisingly truly rewarding. What is family, after all? I don't think it is only blood that can bind us. Sometimes it's about being there where you need him to be, right beside the very people you hold most dear. And with that, voilà! I think I've gained myself a brother without even realizing it. Gusto ko sanang umakyat ng stage sa graduation mo like a really proud nanay, but I don't wanna spare your biological mother the feeling it will give her. Kaya magpakabait ka, dahil kung hindi, luluhod ka sa asin. Rock salt, hindi iodized.