It's been ages since I last posted here and so much has happened since that time, including getting married and moving to Ferntree Gully, quite a distance from my old place in Templestowe! I'll try and post an entry about that around the time of our first anniversary later in the year.
In Australia, as in several other countries, the second Sunday of May is the day we set aside to show our mothers that we appreciate them.
This year, given the unique circumstances that we hopefully won't have to face again in our lifetime and the fact that this is my first Mother's Day no longer living with my parents, and out of a sense of responsibility as the oldest son and child, I want to pen a special tribute to my mother.Now I know that tributes are usually reserved for people who have passed away, but don't worry! As far as I'm aware my mum is by God's grace still alive and healthy. Anyway, I think the best tributes are done while a person is still alive and able to know while they're still here that they are appreciated. So here I go!
As I've grown older and gotten to know my mum better, the more I appreciate her and the way God has used her in my life. Readers, if you are still lucky enough to have your mum with you, make an effort to get to know their story so that you can understand them better!
My mum is a Malaysian-born Chinese, born in the Year of the Horse. It's not surprising therefore that she exudes the characteristics of horse people - especially the stubborn and free-spirited part!
When she was a child, she was sent to a convent school to learn English, while the rest of her siblings did their education in Chinese. While this was so that she could translate official letters written in English for my grandparents (Malaysia was a British colony when my mum was a girl), I also believe it was part of God's plan for her life when she would move first to the UK, then to Australia, where she has spent the majority of her 60-odd years.
After finishing school, my mum moved to the UK to work as a midwife in the mid-1970s, along with several young women who would go on to become her lifelong friends. I think it was this period that proved to be the making of her. My grandmother was naturally concerned for my mum because the UK was so far away, and she didn't know how my mum would cope with the weather and the food (for those of you who know my mum, she doesn't like red meat). In addition, the UK's economy at the time was not very good, but my mum was determined to make the best of it, and developed the life skills that would hold her in good stead for her future. Fortunately my mum wasn't exactly all alone on the other side of the world - her older sister, my 大姨, and her fifth brother (my 五舅) were also in Europe at the time.
After three or four years, my mum and her friends moved to Melbourne, where they have basically stayed ever since. It's not hard to see why - it was much closer to home, the weather was warmer and living conditions were better all round!
As far as I'm aware, the only time since then that my mum has not been in Australia for a significant period of time was when she moved to Hong Kong in the early 1980s to live with my dad's family after being match-made by one of her relatives. As I've already mentioned, my mum is a Horse, but my dad is a Rat, and it is said in Chinese culture that the pairing of Rat and Horse is among the worst combinations. Clearly this was not something mum and dad's matchmaker took into account when setting them up!
After getting married in HK, mum made it clear to dad that she wanted to move back to Australia. It is only now that I realize what a sacrifice this was for my dad - to leave his stable job as a medical professional in the public health sector and start anew in a country which didn't recognize his qualifications, despite his years of medical training and experience. This meant that mum basically had to juggle full-time work with raising me and my sister while dad struggled to find medical employment. Mums are indeed amazing!
Among the many moments in our relationship that stand out to me, I will just mention two:
- On the night of my 16th birthday, as I was getting ready to sleep, mum came into my room and had a quiet talk with me. She acknowledged that when I was younger, she had hurt me in a number of ways due to her short temper and asked me to forgive her for all that. Naturally, I was very moved and said to her that I had already forgiven her in my heart long ago. Looking back, I think this was a pivotal moment in the restoration of our relationship.
- Two years later, on my 18th birthday, I wanted to have a special dinner at home with my close friends. For mum, this meant doing a heap of extra cooking, but she proved herself worthy of the task. I can't remember everything that she cooked, but I remember that it was the food she knew I liked, and that it was a lot! My friends all enjoyed the dinner and complimented mum on her excellent cooking. As for me, it will serve as a lovely memory for which I can be grateful.
Having permanently retired several years ago, my mum has well and truly moved on to the next phase of her life, where she can hopefully start to enjoy the fruit of her labours and also indulge her first grandson, my adorable nephew Nathan. She has also embraced technology, thanks to my youngest brother's help, and regularly posts on Whatsapp. I pray that God will grant her many more years of enjoyment before calling her home.
Happy Mother's Day, Mum. Love you heaps! God bless xoxo
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