To my dearest Mom,
Although I should be thanking you for all of the care you have given me while I was growing up, I find it imperative that I also appreciate the amount of effort and obstacles that you had to overcome in order to have me and my sisters. I do not expect myself to understand all of the struggles that you had to go through in order to get where you are today because I am not able to.
I will never understand the grief that you had to go through when you left your entire family behind in Korea to come to the U.S. I can not fathom you not being able to attend your dream college because you lacked all of the necessary funds. In the time that you were in New York, I can only imagine the prejudices that people might have had against you. The words “chink” or even “zipper head” used describe you and Dad. You truly had nothing when you came to America, but from nothing, you grew. You met Dad and you were able to work together at that small store at the gas station in Macon, GA. That gas station soon evolved into a market which then became the café that you both own in Buckhead, GA today. As an immigrant, your hard work and bravery have given me the best life I could possibly have. You had to learn an entire language and live a different lifestyle so that my sisters and I could live a better life.
You have become my inspiration. Having three daughters was not easy and I know you had to spend a lot of time at home. You were not able to work because you had to take care of us. I cannot thank you enough for the moments you are proud of me. Even if I get rejected or if I fail, you are still proud that I tried. You are proud that I am becoming independent and that I am an activist for women’s rights. You are proud that I can capable of achieving my dreams. You are proud that I am your daughter and that is all I could ever ask for.
As much as you may say you are proud of me, I am proud of you. I am proud that you were able to leap over those boundaries and excel as an immigrant. I am proud that you made me understand how sometimes having children can keep you confined to the house if you are a woman. I am proud that you can joke around with me and feel the need to jump scare me once in a while, but I will always be honored that you are my mom.
For this Mother’s Day, it was really difficult to know exactly what gift to give you. I was not sure if you wanted a new perfume, a new photo album, or a new necklace. I know we ended getting you the perfume, but that is not it. On this Mother’s Day, Angela, Christine, Dad and I are giving our unconditional love to you. We are going to look up from our phones and celebrate the work that you have done to keep our household from falling apart. Even though we may fight all of the time over petty things, I still love you. Know that although you only get to see your parents and siblings once or twice every year, you will always have Angela, Christine, Dad, and me.
Love,
Your Daughter
