Happy Mother's Day!

I was just thinking of my mom and all of the things she’s done so far in her lifetime. She often says that she hasn’t had an opportunity to accomplish anything. However, in my opinion, my mom has done many great things.

My mom came from the mountain-tops of Laos, where she survived and escaped the ravages of the Vietnam War. She and my father made a temporary home in a Thailand refugee camp before coming to the United States. When her plane landed here, she had no knowledge of the English language or of toilets, grocery stores, stoves, schools, and the likes. She started life all over again from scratch in a strange, new country. That is a huge accomplishment.

My mom raised 9 children (yes, nine!). I have 3 kids, and I cannot even fathom having any more. But she bore 9 children, and despite having little money, she never allowed us to go hungry or to look dirty. I think about the small income that she and my dad had back then to support the family, and I am amazed at what my mom, who was in charge of food and household matters, was able to do with the little money she had. She stretched that small amount far and wide! That is a huge accomplishment.

She also encouraged her children to go to school and do well. You see, my mom never had the chance to go to school (not even a single day in her life). She is illiterate in both English and Hmong. She has sacrificed so much time for her children and husband that there were no hours or minutes left at the end of the day for her own goals in life. Despite having had no education, my mom has always maintained a strong belief in the power of knowledge. She pushed us all to succeed in academics. Today, 7 of her 9 children have degrees beyond high school, ranging from Associate’s to Master’s Degree. The 8^th child is in the middle of her college education, and the 9^th child, still in middle school, is earning straight A’s. Due to my mom’s lack of education, she didn’t physically pave the way for us to follow in her footsteps toward educational success, but she paved the way for us mentally and spiritually. That is a huge accomplishment.

My mom taught us children the value of good work ethics. Today, all of her adult children have solid, professional careers thanks to her guidance and support. In our family, there are 3 electric/maintenance technicians, a network administrator, a professor, a nursing assistant, and a project manager. My mom has never had any job beyond the factory assembly-line work, but she made sure all of her kids would have bigger and better opportunities in the professional world, and that we would have careers and not just jobs. That is yet another huge accomplishment.

There have been other obstacles in my mom's life, which I won't mention, but she's gotten through them all. Today, my mom continues to achieve great things, many of them small but all are meaningful in their own way. Some of what my mom has gone through are things I have not yet achieved or I hope to never have to endure. She didn’t have an easy life. But I’m proud, so very proud, of what she’s accomplished. Thanks to my mom and to all great mothers out there!

My sweet mother