For Marjorie Barretto’s 45th birthday last May 19, her two daughters Julia and Claudia decided to share the sweetest thoughts for their mom on their respective Instagram accounts. Even though Julia is now living independently in her own home which is still in the same village as her family, Julia has always been vocal about how much she admires and adores her mom. The two sisters shared throwback photos with their mom, with Claudia penning a lengthy post sharing how much she appreciates her close relationship with her single parent.

“Mom,
You are strongest when you have to pretend you are strong for the people who could not imagine themselves enduring what you’ve endured. You are strongest when you allow yourself to cry because that’s not what people are prepared to see. When we’re faced with difficult situations, people like to see someone who rises above it all. But that can’t always be the case. It’s harder to break down and crumble because the collateral damage of doing so has more consequences on the people around you than it does you. So yes, saying you are strong would be ineffectual because you are much more than that. You are vulnerable but you also always choose to put the people you care about at the forefront of your life. Allowing people to use you as an example, to help them overcome their own battles. Thank you for being an example. Not just for me and the rest of the family, but for all the other people who have allowed themselves to model their strength after yours. Happiest birthday, mom. I know we don’t always see eye to eye... But amongst all our differences are the smallest of similarities that have a much more profound impact on who I am as a person. I love you.”

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Mom, You are strongest when you have to pretend you are strong for the people who could not imagine themselves enduring what you’ve endured. You are strongest when you allow yourself to cry because that’s not what people are prepared to see. When we’re faced with difficult situations, people like to see someone who rises above it all. But that can’t always be the case. It’s harder to break down and crumble because the collateral damage of doing so has more consequences on the people around you than it does you. So yes, saying you are strong would be ineffectual because you are much more than that. You are vulnerable but you also always choose to put the people you care about at the forefront of your life. Allowing people to use you as an example, to help them overcome their own battles. Thank you for being an example. Not just for me and the rest of the family, but for all the other people who have allowed themselves to model their strength after yours. Happiest birthday, mom. I know we don’t always see eye to eye... But amongst all our differences are the smallest of similarities that have a much more profound impact on who I am as a person. I love you.

A post shared by CLAUDIA (@claudia) on May 18, 2020 at 8:56pm PDT

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I love you so much mommy 😩 I will celebrate you for the rest of my life.

A post shared by Julia (@juliabarretto) on May 10, 2020 at 2:16am PDT