Hello, Lia.
As tradition goes, every Holy Week since you were born, we make our way to your lola’s province. Last Monday, we went to this beautiful “secret place” that locals call “The Chocolate Hills of Albay”. We hiked our way up 300 to 350-foot mounds, along with your lola sa tuhod. 
On that day, that secret place received its youngest and oldest visitors. And I’m proud of them. 
It’s a beautiful world, Lia. I’m glad to be sharing it with you. 
To great adventures,
Mama

In Letters to Lia

Gretchen is a Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and essayist from the Philippines, where she embraces life while managing bipolar disorder and ADHD. Her confessional pieces unpack the complexities of grief, healing, motherhood, love, and intersections, garnering recognition from the Greg Grummer Poetry Contest and Navigator's Travel Writing Competition.

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