I made a trip to Jeju Island with my family. The blue sea, the clear sky, and the gentle sea breeze lifted my spirits. While admiring the deep blue ocean, I noticed bright orange floats bobbing on the water. They were flotation devices used by haenyeo during their dives. As someone who doesn’t know how to swim, I was deeply fascinated by these women diving and harvesting seafood in the vast, deep sea.
At our next stop, the aquarium, I was able to learn more about the lives of haenyeo. A haenyeo is a woman who dives into the sea to gather seafood such as sea cucumbers, abalone, and seaweed, using only simple equipment like a wetsuit, goggles, and fins—without the aid of an oxygen tank. They dive as deep as fifteen meters (about fifty feet) to harvest marine life, enduring pressure so intense that it can compress a basketball. I wondered: what is in the hearts of these women as they dive?
Haenyeos are often mothers. Battling rough waves and searching the quiet sea floor for a single abalone or sea urchin, they endure crushing underwater pressure, not only as divers but also as mothers and wives.
Listening to the stories of the haenyeo made me think of our Heavenly Mother. Pushing through the rough waves of the world and enduring deep loneliness, Heavenly Mother tirelessly labors for the sake of Her children. How weary and lonely must She have been as She searched for Her lost children amidst pain and suffering? I offer heartfelt gratitude to Heavenly Mother, who sacrifices endlessly out of boundless love for Her children.
Reflecting on my past—when I made excuses and turned a blind eye to Mother’s footsteps—I resolve now to walk alongside Her as a mature child. I do not want Heavenly Mother to face the fierce waves alone, nor to remain by Herself in the depths of loneliness.