My dad was the oldest son. After my mom got married to my dad, she looked after her parents-in-law, brothers and sisters-in-law, and her five children, and also did the farming work. I think she was destined to work a lot in life. To make matters worse, my family got in difficulty in living; my older sister got a big operation and my dad became sick, and so my mom had to even work in a factory. Whenever she came back home late at night, she couldn’t rest, doing house chores.
Back in those days, we didn’t have a washing machine. So the biggest problem was doing laundry in winter. Whenever the water pipe froze due to cold weather, she had to boil water in a pot and use it for laundry. Instead of helping her, we always whined and asked her for something to eat. How hard it must’ve been for her!
She tried her best to save money and always kept some cash in her pocket, and gave us that money so we could pay for our school activities because she didn’t want us to be made fun of by other kids. When I expressed my appreciation, she used to say, “You don’t need to thank me. Rather, I am thankful to my good daughter. You are healthy, study hard, obey your mom. I’m happy you’re with me.” Then she would smile. Thanks to her sacrifice and devotion, all five of us went to college, got a job, and got married.
My mom expected great things from my oldest sister and me. However, I made my parents worry for over two years by meeting a man whom my parents didn’t like. I protested by not calling or visiting them, and my mom finally put her hands up to my protest. She met her future son-in-law and persuaded my dad. We finally got married after many twists and turns, and we got our house in Gimpo, which is far from Gimje where my parents lived. While unpacking after our honeymoon, I got a call from my mom.
“It’s Mom. How was your honeymoon? Did you call your in-laws?”
“Of course, I did. I’m going to visit you this evening or tomorrow. It’s your birthday soon.”
“How’s your house being organized? Have you been eating properly?”
“Yes! Don’t worry, Mom.”
“I am sorry.”
“What? Why?”
“I haven’t done anything for you.”
Finally, she burst into tears.
“Why are you crying, Mom? You’re making me feel sad. You miss me, right? I’ll see you soon, you know.”
I was at a loss for words, but tried to sound calm. After crying quite a while, my mother cleared her throat and said, “I wanted to keep you near me. All your older sisters moved far away after marriage. I was happy to have you near me. Maybe I was greedy, but I wanted to keep you with me. Now we can’t see each other often. My dear, I’m so sorry for not being a good mom. Thank you for having grown up well.”
People say that all moms who have daughters are like sinners. It seems true; although my mom has raised me with all her heart, she has to miss me day and night, not having me near her.
When I received the truth, the first person I prayed for was my mom. God saved me who was arrogant and selfish through love. I prayed to God that my mom, too, would be blessed with eternal life and go to heaven where she wouldn’t suffer. God has answered my prayer. Now she has realized God’s grace and is receiving many blessings. I give eternal thanks to God.
Actually, my mom’s dream has come true. She always wanted to keep me near her, and now we are dwelling together in the love of Heavenly Mother that transcends time and space, though we are physically far from each other. Isn’t this surely the achievement of her dream? I give thanks to God the Father and Mother over and over again for giving me overflowing love.