Naked Glory

     Serendipity happened yesterday as I looked over to one of my care-worn pictures posted here below.   My five maternal aunts, together with three young cousins to boot, stayed in our house at their week and a half long reunion/bonding time with their eldest sister, my mom.  The "girl-siblings reunion" were complete: four came from our home province in Masbate, another came from Kuwait, and my workaholic mom who's on the go all the time.  When there's a reunion, especially among first-degree relatives, one almost always has anecdotes, present concerns and plans to fill the time.  I got my own piece of simple, factual info from a first-hand source, my aunt, after I showed this family picture -- she has not just one, but few baby pictures of me!  It happened on the day they were about to leave.  I thought my quest for a baby picture is a lost case.    

That's me on my lollipop with my family, early 80's

     To others you'd wonder why fuss over baby pictures.  Without falling into sentimental trap,   keeping them would be a priceless treasure-trove to one's identity.  It's one aspect to self-knowledge.

 
     I recall one homework in my preparatory school where I could not produce my baby picture. I made an alibi which I have forgotten.  Another of that “show-me-your-baby-pic” homework came when I was in second or third grade.  Mama said I ought to have my sister’s pic when she was just a couple of months’ old or so.  Much to my apprehension, I had to make a white lie, anxious lest I lose my face.  As early as that time in my life, I made an awkward smile when I heard from classmates I was a cute, chubby baby.   Looking back now, I tried to take them for a ride but we really didn't know how to distinguish between a 1979 (my birth year) picture to an older, grayish one.  For all we know, I could have submitted my mom or dad's birth pic and the reactions were similar.   Nonetheless, I was glad I had an adorable baby pic, in my sister’s image. 

 

    From my early teens up until my early 20's, I had continued searching for every family picture and failing miserably that I didn’t have one solo baby pic.  I begun to completely understand our family situation then.  Ours started as a really humble beginning.    My father left for Saudi when I was four or five.  I had photos alright at my baptismal ceremony, but they're too old for me simply because I was baptized when I was 5 years old.  My baptism had to be compromised in favor of immediacy and practicality.  Maybe we didn't own a camera then. I couldn’t argue with that. 
 

    Ohh, I have another one which is considered a baby picture since it was taken when I was about 3 years old. But I won’t post it here unless it’s completely restored or if there's any hope if at all. I was the ring-bearer (??) of an aunt’s wedding. The lone picture was me at the round dinner table looking up at the camera. My face there is so mangled, it’s being slowly being eaten out by ghastly-looking dirt over my face. 
 

I am excited about my oncoming photos to be transported from the province.  My aunt, who owned the camera, was trying her darn best to make me remember a swimming outing at Tierra Pura that time, to no avail.  So I assume I must’ve been really young to frolic au naturel. I’m semi-excited about that one too. But it’s very nice if I can have a glimpse of my past , have a baby Iggy picture I can truly call my own.