EIGHT LIES OF A MOTHER
This story begins when I was a child: I was born poor. Often we
hadn't enough to eat. Whenever we had some food, Mother often
gave me her portion of rice. While she was transferring her
rice into my bowl, she would say 'Eat this rice, son! I'm not
hungry.'
This was Mother's First Lie.
As I grew, Mother gave up her spare time to fish in a river
near our house; she hoped that from the fish she caught, she
could give me a little bit more nutritious food for my growth.
Once she had caught just two fish, she would make fish soup.
While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat
what was still left on the bone of the fish I had eaten; My
heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave the other fish to
her on my chopstick but she immediately refused it and said,
'Eat this fish, son! I don't really like fish.'
This was Mother's Second Lie.
Then, in order to fund my education, Mother went to a Match
Factory to bring home some used matchboxes which she filled
with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money to cover
our needs. One wintry night I awoke to find Mother filling the
matchboxes by candlelight. So I said, 'Mother, go to sleep;
it's late: you can continue working tomorrow morning.' Mother
smiled and said 'Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired.'
This was Mother's Third Lie
When I had to sit my Final Examination, Mother accompanied me.
After dawn, Mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the
sun. When the bell rang, I ran to meet her. Mother embraced me
and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared in a
thermos. The tea was not as strong as my Mother's love, Seeing
Mother covered with perspiration; I at once gave her my glass
and asked her to drink too. Mother said 'Drink, son! I'm not
thirsty!
This was Mother's Fourth Lie.
After Father's death, Mother had to play the role of a single
parent. She held on to her former job; she had to fund our
needs alone. Our family's life was more complicated. We
suffered from starvation. Seeing our family's condition
worsening, my kind Uncle who lived near my house came to help
us solve our problems big and small. Our other neighbors saw
that we were poverty stricken so they often advised my mother
to marry again. But Mother refused to remarry saying 'I don't
need love.'
This was Mother's Fifth Lie.
After I had finished my studies and gotten a job, it was time
for my old Mother to retire but she carried on going to the
market every morning just to sell a few vegetables. I kept
sending her money but she was steadfast and even sent the money
back to me. She said, 'I have enough money.'
That was Mother's Sixth Lie.
I continued my part-time studies for my Master's Degree. Funded
by the American Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in
my studies. With a big jump in my salary, I decided to bring
Mother to enjoy life in America but Mother didn't want to
bother her son; she said to me 'I'm not used to high living.'
That was Mother's Seventh Lie
In her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be
hospitalized. Now living far across the ocean, I went home to
visit Mother who was bedridden after an operation. Mother tried
to smile but I was heartbroken because she was so thin and
feeble but Mother said, 'Don't cry, son! I'm not in pain.'
That was Mother's Eighth Lie.
Telling me this, her eighth lie, she died.
YES, MOTHER WAS AN ANGEL!
M - O - T - H - E - R
'M' is for the Million things she gave me, 'O' means Only that
she's growing old, 'T' is for the Tears she shed to save me,
'H' is for her Heart of gold, 'E' is for her Eyes with
love-light shining in them, 'R' means Right, and right she'll
always be, Put them all together, they spell 'MOTHER' a word
that means the world to me. For those of you who are lucky to
be still blessed with your Mom's presence on Earth, this story
is beautiful. For those who aren't so blessed, this is even
more beautiful.
This story begins when I was a child: I was born poor. Often we
hadn't enough to eat. Whenever we had some food, Mother often
gave me her portion of rice. While she was transferring her
rice into my bowl, she would say 'Eat this rice, son! I'm not
hungry.'
This was Mother's First Lie.
As I grew, Mother gave up her spare time to fish in a river
near our house; she hoped that from the fish she caught, she
could give me a little bit more nutritious food for my growth.
Once she had caught just two fish, she would make fish soup.
While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat
what was still left on the bone of the fish I had eaten; My
heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave the other fish to
her on my chopstick but she immediately refused it and said,
'Eat this fish, son! I don't really like fish.'
This was Mother's Second Lie.
Then, in order to fund my education, Mother went to a Match
Factory to bring home some used matchboxes which she filled
with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money to cover
our needs. One wintry night I awoke to find Mother filling the
matchboxes by candlelight. So I said, 'Mother, go to sleep;
it's late: you can continue working tomorrow morning.' Mother
smiled and said 'Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired.'
This was Mother's Third Lie
When I had to sit my Final Examination, Mother accompanied me.
After dawn, Mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the
sun. When the bell rang, I ran to meet her. Mother embraced me
and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared in a
thermos. The tea was not as strong as my Mother's love, Seeing
Mother covered with perspiration; I at once gave her my glass
and asked her to drink too. Mother said 'Drink, son! I'm not
thirsty!
This was Mother's Fourth Lie.
After Father's death, Mother had to play the role of a single
parent. She held on to her former job; she had to fund our
needs alone. Our family's life was more complicated. We
suffered from starvation. Seeing our family's condition
worsening, my kind Uncle who lived near my house came to help
us solve our problems big and small. Our other neighbors saw
that we were poverty stricken so they often advised my mother
to marry again. But Mother refused to remarry saying 'I don't
need love.'
This was Mother's Fifth Lie.
After I had finished my studies and gotten a job, it was time
for my old Mother to retire but she carried on going to the
market every morning just to sell a few vegetables. I kept
sending her money but she was steadfast and even sent the money
back to me. She said, 'I have enough money.'
That was Mother's Sixth Lie.
I continued my part-time studies for my Master's Degree. Funded
by the American Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in
my studies. With a big jump in my salary, I decided to bring
Mother to enjoy life in America but Mother didn't want to
bother her son; she said to me 'I'm not used to high living.'
That was Mother's Seventh Lie
In her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be
hospitalized. Now living far across the ocean, I went home to
visit Mother who was bedridden after an operation. Mother tried
to smile but I was heartbroken because she was so thin and
feeble but Mother said, 'Don't cry, son! I'm not in pain.'
That was Mother's Eighth Lie.
Telling me this, her eighth lie, she died.
YES, MOTHER WAS AN ANGEL!
M - O - T - H - E - R
'M' is for the Million things she gave me, 'O' means Only that
she's growing old, 'T' is for the Tears she shed to save me,
'H' is for her Heart of gold, 'E' is for her Eyes with
love-light shining in them, 'R' means Right, and right she'll
always be, Put them all together, they spell 'MOTHER' a word
that means the world to me. For those of you who are lucky to
be still blessed with your Mom's presence on Earth, this story
is beautiful. For those who aren't so blessed, this is even
more beautiful.
