Mother’s Day this year was in many ways the same as in previous years; my brother and I made own cards and presented them to mom the next morning together with a cup of hot black sesame soup. It was different this year though, that mom cried after reading our cards and later put them in a frame to hang on the wall by her bed. I sort of understand why, with my younger brother now taller than mom, we have become reluctant to express our love as we used to: an evening good night hug has been replaced with a mere shout out of “good night mom” and we are less willing to share our thoughts with each other as we grow older. So it must be a big adjustment to her, as she still calls grandma in China every evening and has long conversations most of the time.

          My mom is an incredible person, she has a successful career with a job she loves, and at the same time manages to take good care of our family. She is very organized and quick to act. Dad has always been busy with work and sometimes has to work on the weekends, so mom does a lot of driving for us, even accompanying me and my brother in numerous Boy Scout activities over the years, not to mention the routine driving for our other activities during the week. She is good at multitasking; between dropping off and picking up us, she gets so much done with every single trip; how much she can do always amazes me.

My mom is very sensitive, she would cry reading an article or watch a video clip, but she is very strong whenever she needs to be. When dad couldn’t join us, mom was the one who brought grandma, my brother, and me on many out of state trips. Whenever my brother and I have difficulties, our mother is always there to help and support us.

Much of what I have accomplished today has been thanks to my mom. She has helped and guided me get through the hardest parts of my early teenage years, allowing me to make mistakes and adjustment while I am still searching, and encourages me to pursue what I like instead of only focusing on grades. She teaches me to appreciate what I have and the help I have gotten from others, and helped me to become a responsible person. I owe my mom more than I can ever hope to give back. Mom, thank you for everything!