自強之路

Set aside bringing me to earth and raising me up, Mom has been taking care of my family and me even if I am not young any more, even at the age of my mid-forties. For my son, my wife, my brother, my dad, and even for my students, every day she cooks, nourishes Benson, tailors, cleans, scrubs, arranges, shops, bargains, gleans, silently and quietly. I don't think there's any palindrome could perfectly depict such circle, the circle of housework, of labouring, of devotion, of sacrifice, of endless love, for no repay and reward. Mom does all these as if they were her callings at the beginning; she only takes them and just practices them out, without a single slice of complaint or grumble, for, as far as I could conceive and trace back, over two scores, four decades, nearly half century. What if you do all these plus a stupid and stubborn son, who knows nothing about a helping hand with piles of housechores but to waste money playing golf for fun, taking coach tests vainly, doing almost nothing financially constructive and promising to my family? Moms simply takes all these, as GIFTs from the Heaven. She takes all these for granted, even as blessings, through which I am enlightened to witness true virtue of maternal brightness, the gifted talent from the Father of His own. Mom takes all these as gifts, and I have her as the gift, one of the most treasured gifts Father has given to me.

What should I give Mom for Mom's Day? This is the ever toughest question for me as well as for you, I believe. The reason is quite simple: Just imagine how you would send a gift to the gift destined to be given to you, which has been functioning to make your gifts be gifts and prodigies of others, who will all take you gifted as you yourself be the very gift to them.

And guess what? Mom and Dad had a greatest fight on Mom's Day... They chided for knowing each other and regretted getting married, even after 45 years. I wonder if I ought to be here as a substance of their mutual love since then... Am I myself a conglomerate of ambiguity, dilemma, and shame? Or is this all happening under the plan of His? I believe both are plausible.