Mas

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At first sight, it was an odd choice of congratulatory gift — a ceramic peanut butter jar, lid opened, standing next to its culinary partner, a stone jelly jar. Perched just in front of the classic lunchtime ingredients, sitting on a faux cutting board, two statuary sandwich halves sliced on the diagonal, or as my youngest son has always put it: “Cut in triangles, please ...”

The homemade objet d’art was crafted and given to my mother by a dear family friend, who would later explain the pottery peanut butter & jelly sandwich scene as “about American as you can get!”

The present commemorated my mother’s U.S. citizenship, which she earned on the Fourth of July, 1976 — our nation’s bicentennial birthday.

Until that time, Mom faithfully carried a green card in her wallet as she had since arriving to California from the Philippines in 1966. Whenever we would ask my mom to recall her first day on U.S. soil, the story always included her surprise — or shock — at the weather: cool, damp fog (in August!) at the San Francisco International Airport. Lucky for her, the weather would be much milder in the southern Bay Area city where she and my dad would settle, San Jose.

Mom’s first days, weeks and months in the U.S. included adjusting to our foods, cooking methods and even the measurement system (they use metrics in the Philippines), not to mention TV, fashions and the culture, or counter-culture, of the times.

Flash forward 10 years and two daughters later, I’m sitting on our front porch with Mom, enjoying a cool summer breeze and quizzing her on American history. In my bare feet and not quite in the fourth grade, I remember how fun it was to play teacher/tutor to an adult. I also remember how proud I was that my mom was taking this next step in her life here, studying for her citizenship test to become a proud American.

When offered to take the test in English or Tagalog — the national Filipino language — Mom chose English. She passed with flying colors and took her oath to this country in a courtroom full of other fresh patriots saluting the red, white & blue.

Then it was time to party! Everyone came to our house for a huge Fourth of July barbecue served up with extra portions of special meaning. After all, it was our nation’s 200th birthday, and it was my mom’s first day as an official U.S. citizen.

PB & J’s for everyone!