Last year on Mother's Day, someone from our community invited people to share stories about their mothers.
A policeman said his mother took him to the opera on Saturdays. He listened but he didn't understand. He grew to love opera. Now every Saturday he listens to a radio that plays opera, enjoying Italian voices and happily remembering his mom.
A woman shared that she was only 17 months old when her mother died. Her father remarried. She values the things learned from her stepmother—how to keep house, cook and care for children. She said, "If you have a mother and you've known a mother's love, don't take it for granted (理所当然)."
An entrepreneur (企业家) said that his mom let him skip school (逃学) on his birthday when he was 9. The driver said, "Why aren't you in school?"
"My mom let me skip and is taking me out to lunch for my birthday," he said.
The driver said, "Your mom loves you like nobody else. Don't you ever forget that, OK?"
Another person shared that when he moved to the US as a young man, his parents disagreed. He left anyway. He found a roommate, and every weekend they drove to the roommate's home where his mother had food prepared and waited for them. They'd pick it up and have food for the week. The roommate's mother became a stand-in (替身) mother. He missed his mom so much.
It is good to tell others what your mother, or someone who has helped fill that role, means to you. But if your mother is still living, it might also be good to tell her.
