When I came back home from meeting my friends on a Sunday evening, my mother had several layers of bandages on her pinky finger.
“Mom, what happened to your finger?”
“I got a little cut while doing something.”
Glancing at it, however, it wasn’t just a little cut, and so I asked her to see a doctor quickly. But she said it wasn’t serious and she could go tomorrow. She said so as if nothing really happened, so I thought she was okay, but that was not the case. When I came home after work the next day, her condition was really bad. It was not just her finger; her whole hand was wrapped in bandages. When she went to the doctor, she was rebuked since the wound was severe and she came too late. The doctor said the injured part could’ve been amputated. She still acted as if it was nothing, looking at my astonishment.
“Don’t worry. The cut was very small. Even if it had to be amputated, it would be only a little part.”
I was upset at my mother’s calm attitude. I asked her angrily, “Why are you so careless? Why didn’t you see a doctor earlier?” She kept saying she was okay.
I knew she hurt her hand because of me. Several days ago, she started to dry fruits and sweet potatoes with a dehydrator as my snack. She cut her finger while cutting the fruit. It didn’t stop bleeding for three hours, and to my surprise, she continued cutting fruits while holding her wound very tightly. If I had been in her situation, I would’ve gone to the hospital right away, leaving everything behind, without taking care of anyone else.
She said preparing a snack, which I didn’t mind whether to take or not, was more important than taking care of her injury. Even though she was greatly hurt, she acted as if nothing really happened because she didn’t want to cause me distress when I found out.
After she came back from seeing the doctor, all our family members helped her. We helped her because the doctor recommended her not to touch water with her wounded hand and overuse her hand. All of us made sure she didn’t do the dishes, any laundry, or even wash her hair. Out of everyone, my father took the most initiative to help her. Fortunately, my mother’s hand healed fast.
Through this, I came to think of the love of our Heavenly Father and Mother. To our Father, saving my soul was more important than suffering on the cross and laying down His life. Mother does not avoid any kind of toil while waiting for me to be reborn to be worthy to enter heaven. Even though Mother works so hard, She always smiles without saying a word like it’s hard or painful. I can’t help but feel ashamed when I think of how much I have considered Mother’s pain, and how much effort I’ve made for the gospel, thinking of Mother, who loves me enough to endure indescribable torment.
Mother always says She is okay, but now I know how much She is afflicted. I no longer want to be a child who only receives blessings and just watches Her toil. I want to be a mature child who lightens Mother’s heavy load by diligently helping Her with brothers and sisters in Zion.