Not long ago, an online news story titled “What Was in the Bundle of a Mother With Dementia” quietly stirred hearts across the internet. The story began when police received a report that an elderly woman with dementia had been wandering back and forth, carrying a bundle. Responding to the call, the officers learned from the woman that her daughter gave birth and was in the hospital. After some investigation, they brought her to the hospital where her daughter was staying. Upon seeing her daughter, the elderly woman began to carefully untie the bundle she had been holding tightly in her hands. Inside were cold seaweed soup, seasoned vegetables, and a portion of plain white rice. Those who witnessed the moment couldn’t hold back their tears.
Another touching story of a mother, one that brings tears to the eyes, took place on the day of the national college entrance exam, during a bitter cold spell. That morning, a traffic accident occurred in front of a marketplace. When the police tried to take the injured woman to the hospital, she waved them off, insisting that she had something more urgent than the hospital—buying gimbap. Her daughter was taking the exam that day, and the mother had felt terrible for not preparing a lunchbox. She had been on her way to buy gimbap when the accident happened. The police drove both mother and daughter to the exam site, and only after making sure her daughter safely entered the building did the mother agree to receive treatment.
Even if she can no longer remember her own name, she cannot forget her child for even a moment. Even if her own body is wounded, she cannot bear to let a single hair on her child be harmed. That is a mother.