My Family Story

The Seed of Positive Words

Our family shared the Family Love & Communication article entitled, “Positive Words Design Happiness” after having the Happy Home worship. It was an enlightening article about the power of words. What was impressive was about the South Korean fencer in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, who was able to overcome his opponent with the repetitive words, “I can do it, I can do it!” Even though the fencer was nearly defeated and the odds of him winning were slim, he amazingly was able to make a “dramatic turnabout” and win the fencing match. Around then, my 7-year-old son had struggled with his basic math skills. Because of it, we were in touch with his teacher quite often. She emphasized…

Roxanne K. Miller from New Windsor, NY, U.S.

For a Lover of Watermelon

“Watermelon Killer” and “Watermelon Lover!” These are the nicknames I gave my younger sister. It’s because she loves watermelons whereas I don’t because it is troublesome for me to spit out the seeds. When she comes back home after work, she takes out a container full of chopped watermelon my mom prepared from the fridge, and takes it to her room; then she enthusiastically eats it all. I see the scene almost every day in summer. When I asked my mom how often she bought a watermelon, she said she did at least once a week. My sister alone eats about five watermelons a month. I wonder how she doesn’t get tired of eating watermelons. Even in cold winter, she…

Hong Jeong-eun from Seoul, South Korea

My Younger Brother’s Egg Dishes

When my brother was little, he wanted to learn to cook eggs. So my mom gathered us and said, “Please eat the eggs he made no matter how bad they are.” The first time, the eggs were undercooked slightly. When none of us could willingly eat them, he came and asked, “Do you like them?” “Yes, they are so good,” said Mom. After complimenting him, she gave us a look that said, “Eat them.” So we could not help but eat. When he tried the egg dishes again, my mom kindly explained to him how to tell if they’re done. With this new information, my little brother had confidence and overcooked the eggs. He seemed to be satisfied with his…

Bianca Papapietro from Atlanta, GA, U.S.

Mom and Strawberry

In my childhood, my family was very poor. When the six members of my family lay in a single room, we had no space to turn over. My parents leased farms from others to raise their four children. One day, I was so sick that I told my mom that I wanted to be absent from school. She told me not to be absent because there was no one to take care of me while being alone at home and forced me to go to school. When I arrived at school after walking for two hours, I was so sick that I bent over the desk. Seeing my condition, my teacher wanted me to go home. I said it would…

Park Eun-ja from Gumi, South Korea

Chocolate Milk

My husband bought banana milk on his way home. It was what he had not done before. Even when I wanted to have quality family time and asked him to eat out all together, he would say, “Three of you may go out.” He was such a blunt husband. So I was sometimes upset. These days, however, he often brings snacks, ice cream, and the like for our children. In fact, my children do not like banana milk, but I couldn’t tell him the truth because he thoughtfully bought it for them. So I just gave him a hint. “It’s good to buy variousthings. Our sons like chocolate milk or strawberry milk.” Even after that, however, he kept buying banana…

Hong Seon-ok from Seoul, South Korea

Dad’s Most Concerned Child

I am the third oldest one of four daughters. There is an old joke in Korea, “The third oldest daughters are so pretty that men are willing to take them as their wives without even seeing them.” However, I was my dad’s most concerned child in my family. When I was a kid, I had a high fever from polio. I survived, but I was at a risk of becoming paralyzed from the waist down. Thanks to my parents, who even sold their farms and fields to cure me in any way possible, I was able to walk though I became lame. My dad felt sorry for me, so he raised me as a dear child without spanking me even…

Ha Jeong-oh from Jinju, South Korea

Well Done!

A mother wheeled a stroller into the elevator. The hair of the child sitting in the stroller was shinny and eye-catching. Then I noticed a mark on his wrist. It was like a “Well Done” stamp. “Hi. What’s on your wrist?” I asked him out of curiosity and his mother answered instead. “It’s a stamp he got at his daycare center. When I tried to remove it while bathing him, he cried that I couldn’t wash around it. So the mark is left.” I smiled despite myself, imagining how anxious he must’ve been about the stamp being washed off while his mother was bathing him. I was reminded that even whales dance when praised. Animals too dance with joy when…

Choi Seok-hui from Seongnam, South Korea

Mom Never Yields with the Power of Love for Her Children

My phone rang while I was washing dishes. It was Mom. I could guess why she was calling me. Mom must have called me to give me some side dishes. At the thought, ‘I should’ve called her first,’ I was sorry to her. I have four older sisters and one younger brother. Although I’m over forty, in the eyes of Mom I’m still a little girl who causes anxiety to her. The youngest child is my brother, but maybe because he’s a reliable son, Mom treats me like the youngest one. I answered the phone like a kid, “Mommy.” I guessed right. Mom asked me to come and take some fruit and meat because she had too many things left…

Lee Su-ja from Gumi, South Korea

Lost Shoes Back

My grandma always wants to give me more. When I was in elementary school, she bought me a desk for hard study. She paid for school uniforms in my middle and high school days. When I became a college student and lived alone, she sent me various side dishes. She always asked me if I needed anything. During the Korean national holiday Chuseok a few years ago, my grandma gave me a gift of shoes. She had even asked my aunt and cousin to choose my shoes with a fashionable design that suited me well. When I returned to my place after the holiday, she followed me to the bus terminal to see me off though I tried to dissuade…

Oh Jin-hui from Anyang, South Korea

Filial Piety Is…

Recently, my right wrist hurt. I thought it would be healed soon that I had no regard for it. But the pain worsened as days went by. I was just enduring pain, wearing a wrist brace and doing hot towel massages. My two daughters, who are junior high school students, started helping out with housework probably because they felt bad to see my pain. After eating, they did the dishes and alternately cleaned the house. Even my youngest son, an elementary school student said, “Mom, let me wash your hair. You should avoid using your sore hands.” As for cleaning the bathroom that got dirty, I couldn’t even conceive the idea of starting it. I said to myself, “I need…

Jang Sun-hyang from Seoul, South Korea

My First Salary

I checked the text message at a vibration of my cell phone. My salary was deposited. I was happy because it was the first salary in my life. ‘Is this really mine? How should I use it?’ I thought of many things on the way to the bank with excitement. ‘This is my first salary. I’ll give it to my mother. She has been sacrificed for me until today.’ I withdrew it in cash and handed it to my mother. I thought she would be much pleased, but she just looked at the envelope for a while. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for having done nothing for you.” I was puzzled as her reaction quite different from my anticipation. I…

Kim Seon-wu from Seongnam, South Korea

Beautiful Mind and Touching Words

My first eight-year-old son is easily frightened. When he went to the bathroom or needed water to drink at night, he had to wake me or my husband up. One day, however, he woke up at dawn and went to the bathroom alone. I wondered how he could do that, so I pictured his movements, giving my ear to the sound. Soon, he closed the door of the bathroom. ‘Oh? Is he not my son?’ Puzzled, I got up and went to the living room. It was him who came out of the bathroom. “Sol! How come you closed the door? Were you not scared?” “I closed it because I didn’t want to wake up my family with the sound…

Jeong Eun-yeong from Uijeongbu, South Korea

My Father

It was when I went to my parents’ house for the first holiday after my marriage. Resting in a room, I heard Dad and my husband were talking in the living room. Later, my husband came into the room and so I asked, “What did you and Dad talk about?” “We talked about politics.” “He talks about politics?” I was surprised. I thought he was not interested in politics. On the following national holiday, Mom and I went out to have a sauna, while Dad and my husband were left at home. As Dad would watch TV in his room or workout on his day off, I thought they would spend their time individually. But when we returned home in…

Tak Jin-seul from Anyang, South Korea

Older Sister’s Confession of Love

It was the Lunar New Year holidays during the winter vacation when I was in the second grade of elementary school. My aunt, who had lived close at hand and moved to a remote city, visited our home. We were all smiles to see her family in a long time. Before returning, my aunt felt sorry to part that she wanted to take me and my sister to her home and show us here and there, and buy us some delicious food. I liked my aunt and wanted to follow her, but the school was about to begin and I got carsick easily that my parents stopped me. Eventually, my aunt took my seven-year-old sister only. That day, I was…

Han Yu-mi from Changwon, South Korea