It is way passed Mother Day but that does not matter. Actually, I should have written this since I was asked to write a composition for Mother Day in high school, but I was just a foolish kid back then and I was blind to see what wonderful things my mother have in herself. She is a person with many qualities that I want to imitate or take after, but unfortunately, I didn't inherit much of these traits. Anyway, although it will take time for me to build these qualities, I will try. There are four characters that I admire so much in my mother: her strength, her adaptability and practicality, her spirit of teacher, and her quality as food provider.
My mother is a strong lady. She has lived a life full of hard work and lots of obstacles but she was able to pass through them with endurance. She often tells me that problems and difficulties are very normal things of life. When I complained about work, she usually said that there's no work that is easy, why do I expect anything to be easy. My mother has worked as teacher for more than 30 years. She went through all the hard work that Thai teachers required to do, plus the terrible politics in the school. She had to fight in problematic situations that caused by selfish motive of executives and colleagues. Furthermore, after tiring long day at work, she came home and still cooked and cared for our family. It was amazing how she was able to go through all that for years and years, not to mention during our family's financial crisis. My mother would not complain when she got sick unless she got really, really sick. She has so much endurance in herself. And now as an elderly lady, she often advises me to just let things go, not to carry all the troubles within my heart or to make things worse for myself by being so emotional. I think that's her secret. She knows how to let go. She sees problems as they are; she doesn't make small problems seem like mountains the way I usually do. I admire my mother's strength so much and I hope that one day I can be like her when I get older.
My mother is a practical lady and a quick learner. She can look at the the problem in front of her and design her techniques or creative ways to get that problem solved. She is not someone who is attached to old way of doing things. She likes new gadget in the kitchen. She likes to try new recipes. She likes to learn how to use new technology. (She had learned to use smartphone and tablet way before I did) She is comfortable when adapting herself to the changing world. She catches up with news every evening. It seems funny. I am from newer generation and she is from older generation but she is usually the one saying to me "Hey, you're doing things in the outmoded way. Now the world has changed they have new way to do that even quicker. Don't you know?" I really admire the way she can fix things up with whatever resources we have. When we travel abroad together, and there is a kitchen, with some raw food, ingredients, and a few gadgets, my mother would somehow be able to fix a meal out of that quickly. If we don't have a cup but we need to use a cup, she would find something else that can be used in place of that cup. She is one of the most practical person I've ever known. She is also a fast and light packer. Her suitcase is always thin while mine is always bulky. My mother is so good at fixing problems with her hand and her brain. Unfortunately, I am a very "impractical" girl, a dreamy type. And a lot of time my mother had to worry about me. Often, when I asked, "Mommy, can you help me do this please?" She would say, "Dear, you should use your brain and try doing it yourself. I know you can do it. I won't be here on earth forever to help you, one day I'll be gone, you know." Sometimes I took it personally and felt hurt, thinking that my mother didn't care to help me. But when I look back, I know that she really wanted me to help myself because that would be good for me in a long run. She wanted to give me something more precious than just a one-time help, the ability to be practical like her.
My mother is a great teacher. No matter how terrible the politics in school are, she is always focused on teaching her students, getting them to read and write and learn. She used lots of games to make the learning fun. She was a teacher who cared about students more than her own success in career path. She used to spend her evening helping the students who fell behind academically. When I began my teaching career, I learned a lot about classroom management and teaching techniques from my mom. Today, as a retired teacher, my mother is always busy going out for meals and trips that her ex-students arranged for her. It seems that her ex-students are everywhere in town and all of them remember and love her. She was also a great teacher to me. The good English skill that I have now, the very thing that gives me my livelihood, I owe it all to my mom. She taught me to read English since I was a little girl. She bought me beautiful story books and read them together with me. She gave me expensive cassette set to help with my English speaking skill. She sat with me through homework time in my primary years. I really have to say that the strong English still that I have came from the basic that my mother taught me in my early years. And although today she no longer taught at school, she still teaches our little niece who lives nearby. She would not mind spending hours to get the little girl finished her homework. Maybe someday, when I have gained enough strength and overcome depression and anxiety permanently, I would go back to teaching career. I could feel this trait of my mother living in me although I'm not as strong and devoting as she is.
Last but not least, my mother always keeps everybody's stomach full! Through years of experience, she is a wonderful cook and I love her meals so much. Even today, I feel like old baby, but I admit that mother still cooks for me and I love it! My mother is especially caring when it comes to food. She makes sure that everyone is full after the meal. She always stock lots of food in the kitchen and refrigerator, including snacks and fruits on the table. In my house, we can eat all day long. The fact that my mother doesn't let anyone go hungry is not limited to our family. My mother makes sure that my dog get her meal every evening. When I was too busy with work, she would say, "Talew is hungry now, you better go and give her food. If you keep an animal as a pet, never let it go hungry" Actually, she often gives my dog something to eat all day long and I'm not surprised that Talew is especially fond of my mom. In addition, her generosity goes out to our neighbor. Whenever my uncle next door had to live by himself because his family had gone away on vacation or business trip, my mother sometimes invited him to join the meal or brought him some food and snacks. It seems like she has to ensure that everyone is full and not hungry. Also, she has a habit of giving quality food to others and to monks, while keeping not-so-high quality food to herself. Bigger pieces go to others, smaller pieces go to herself. This is such a wonderful thing of her and I believe that life will return it to her fully. In this life and the next, I believe that she would never go hungry.
After writing all these qualities of my mom, I feel a bit sad for not having so much of her good traits in myself. But I will try not to sink in despair because I remember what my mother used to encourage me: "You can change yourself for the better. If you think you can, then one day you will, although it takes time. If you think you can't, then you never will, because you would never begin. Don't think that I must be like this, this is me, and I can't change. No, that's not true. You can change. Everybody can."
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