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Thursday, November 24, 2016

Lola's Cream

November 25, 2016 marks the 86th birthday of my late maternal grandmother, Lola Juanita.

So many thing  evoke plenty of heartwarming memories with her. One of these always come up whenever I rub Vicks Baby Balsam on my baby daughter Pia's chest and back. I usually do this when she starts to have the sniffles and colds.

This act always bring me back when me, my siblings and cousins lived in one roof.  That was from 1985 to 1989 and our ages would range from 7 to 3 y/o until I was 11 y/o and the youngest was 7. 


Lola would be in the country annually for 2-3 months. During rainy or cold days or when she senses that some of us were beginning to develop colds, she would be sitting in the sofa by bedtime. She would all call us one by one. She asks us to kneel and place our head on her lap while she rubs her magic cream.
ks.



* images courtesy of Google Images


I remember that I always anticipate the cold feeling when she puts her cream mixture first on my back. But her warm hand makes it soothing and relieving when she rubs it. She takes her time and doesn't rush even if we were 6 children. I remember particularly how she give more time to rub her cream on my frail little sister's back.

I recently researched Noxzema and it is supposedly cleansing cream. That's odd being rubbed on our chest and backs with Vicks. 

But then, it doesn't matter at all. Lola's cream has soothed and made us feel snug and warm while we slept. 


Happy Birthday, Lola Juanita! :) Memories of those cold nightly rituals still comfort me even after after 11 years since you joined Lolo with our Creator. Our cold bedtime ritual will live on with Pia sans Noxzema. :

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