Maia's 2nd Birthday!

Rowin and I was able to get the luxury of time to recall all our blessings Maia brought us since God sent her, she really is our angel here on earth.

When I was 10 weeks pregnant with her, we were able to meet our dearest Ninong Rev.Fr.Godofredo Atienza in Hong Kong who also officiated our wedding ceremony. He held an exclusive mass for us (Rowin, me & Zek) in Don Bosco Chapel in Hong Kong. And even though Zek kept on running during the entire hour and we are so anxious that he might broke or hit any religious item inside the chapel, we still felt so much blessed. Our almost 3-hour travel and hiking from Shajing Shenzhen to Hong Kong was all worth it.

All things we needed during the entire pregnancy were coming to us. Rowin was able to go home on time for my delivery. I was able to book a room in Asian Hospital on the day of my admission (the hospital requires advance room reservation for non emergency cases like mine – birth by caesarean section). We have a lot of visitors coming to the hospital that the Huggery nurses were amazed too because baby Santos was always on call for viewing. Rowin’s boss was kind enough to give him a bonus covering majority of our hospital bills during our 5-day stay. We also got a free dinner date set up in our room on the night before my discharge.

Families, relatives and friends were very supportive of baby Maia since Zek was still a demanding toddler at his age of 3 years. I was having a hard time getting a nanny that time since I was admittedly being picky on choosing for the ones who have the charisma and knack to meet our needs especially with the 2 kids. Zek does not want to go with anybody else but me. It will be soon time for us to go back to China but we still found none while Rowin needs to go back already ahead of us. I have talked to my sister-in-law who at that time will be having her summer vacation as a high school teacher. She was able to accompany us on our way back to China and even stayed for the entire 2 months with us.

Rowin and I were able to manage the 2 kids after then until we get back home again after a year. Though we also do get irritated and tired on certain occasions, sometimes quite too often, the joy brought by our kids gave us so much fulfillment.

When Maia was 10 months old, we were able to get her photograph in an angel costume and when she reached more than a year, she was playing angel by herself putting a round white circle plastic as her halo (I wonder that time how she knows to use it as halo). I’m asking myself now if this is just coincidence since she is now with the Lord as our angel for real. She also likes doing the shadow dance of the butterfly until her last days with us. Premonitions? A close friend with a daughter of nearly same age as Maia (also her playmate in China) narrated to us about a beautiful butterfly playing with them unexpectedly and for a long time on the day of Maia’s demise.

Maia is a charming baby, everyone noticed her wherever we go. I never had a hard time taking care of her and up to her last hours, she still plays with me so I never got any intuition of what was about to happen next. And in our hearts, she saved us from more bitterness by passing away in her sleep. And we would certainly believe that Maia is helping us amazingly because we were able to recover from this sorrowful moment so soon for I thought I will cry myself to death after losing her.

The list goes on and on for her almost 22-month stay here on earth, I cannot count the number of people she made happy even only with her smile. Though she is now gone, she still continue to pour blessings to us. Her going back to our Father so soon, is gaining for us lots of strength while giving us more reason to show God’s love to others so that others may see Him through us.

Happy 2nd Birthday Maia! We miss you so much and we feel your presence everyday. I pray for your guidance in seeking God instead of the entertaining questions about your departure. For in our search for truth there will always someone that connects and binds us spontaneously and that is you.

Maia's Legacy

What does the symbol of our Maia Foundation means?

The Child

The child inside the cross is the partial charcoal sketch of our beloved angel
Elisha Maire “Maia” C. Santos who, after a brief twenty-two months of being with
us, has inspired us to love more and live life to the fullest and that the most loving
fulfillment of all is by sharing this love to others, which in the end, is about loving
our God.

Matthew 25: 40
“And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

The Hearts

The hearts of different sizes symbolizes all the loving efforts that each of our
family members, donors and volunteers will extend into our vision and purpose of
loving others. It does not matter whether the amount to be spent or action to be
done is small or big as long as it is done out of love. God sees the “bigness” of
our heart.

Matthew 25: 34-36
Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'

The Cross

The Cross symbolizes the greatest love of all which is our Lord Jesus Christ
whom we honor and praise for He alone is able to make our suffering a part of
His work of salvation. It is He who embraced His suffering and who died for us
out of His unconditional love for each and every one of us.

John 3: 16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life."