Showing posts with label mom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mom. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Mid-Autumn Festival
This year, Mid-Autumn Festival fell on September 25.
My mother who was a Buddhist up until about six years before her death, used to celebrate all Chinese festivals, minor or major. Since the rest of the family are Catholics we celebrated these festivals not with prayers to the Chinese Gods but with a gathering of all the family members having dinner together. We would have a small feast of fish, mixed vegetables, lotus root soup and the traditional steamed chicken. Of course, on Mid-Autumn day, we would have mooncake for desert, washed down with Chinese tea.
Since my mother's passing, my family now only celebrate major festivals like Chinese New Year and Winter Solstice which are cultural events rather than religious ones. My father's more incline towards western food and so missing a Chinese feast or two is no big deal to him. My mother was the one who planted my Chinese roots deep into the ground.
Well, to make up for the feast we did not have, we did eat many mooncakes before and on Mid-Autumn day.
Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival (wiki)
mooncakes
mooncakes
My mother who was a Buddhist up until about six years before her death, used to celebrate all Chinese festivals, minor or major. Since the rest of the family are Catholics we celebrated these festivals not with prayers to the Chinese Gods but with a gathering of all the family members having dinner together. We would have a small feast of fish, mixed vegetables, lotus root soup and the traditional steamed chicken. Of course, on Mid-Autumn day, we would have mooncake for desert, washed down with Chinese tea.
Since my mother's passing, my family now only celebrate major festivals like Chinese New Year and Winter Solstice which are cultural events rather than religious ones. My father's more incline towards western food and so missing a Chinese feast or two is no big deal to him. My mother was the one who planted my Chinese roots deep into the ground.
Well, to make up for the feast we did not have, we did eat many mooncakes before and on Mid-Autumn day.
Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival (wiki)
mooncakes
mooncakes
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Mother's Day
I went to Mom's grave to visit her. Along the journey, I felt like she was still alive and we were just driving out of town to visit her. The only shit is that we can't see or feel her physically. It was a very funny feeling, sad and weird. I miss her and I sometimes wonder when I can be with her again. Then at this point, all those religious beliefs or disbeliefs flood the mind. Existence in this world becomes as weird as those thoughts I have that day.
Anyway, I bought her three very red carnations, which the florist taught me how to open up the buds, and a big very yellow chrysanthemum. The red carnations represented myself, my sister and my brother while the yellow chrysanthemum, my dad. All of us were there.
Anyway, I bought her three very red carnations, which the florist taught me how to open up the buds, and a big very yellow chrysanthemum. The red carnations represented myself, my sister and my brother while the yellow chrysanthemum, my dad. All of us were there.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
My Mother
I had been thinking about my mother the past week. It's sometimes like this when the 14th day of a month draws near. I miss her terribly.
I could see her face smiling up at me. I could see the courage in her eyes as she braved her illness. She seldom complained and when she did, the pain or discomfort she felt must have been unbearable because I knew she had a high tolerance for pain.
I read a friend's comment about comprehending the reason why ill fortune befalls us. Tears fell from my eyes as I could fully understand the question and the need for an answer. I had asked myself that question many times during my mother's illness and during the difficulties I had encountered in the course of taking care of her.
I had the answer once when I asked about a surgery she had to undergo. I was greatly dissatisfied with the answer I got.
Later, situation after situation made me asked the inevitable why again. I never did get any answer anymore. However, I do not mean to say that things were always bleak. There were happy times and times when sufferings breezed through for my mother because we carried them for her.
Yes, we can question why but we do not always get the answer. Even when we do, it may not be the answer that we want. We can only leave all the whys to hang on the wall for us to reflect on later in life.
I could see her face smiling up at me. I could see the courage in her eyes as she braved her illness. She seldom complained and when she did, the pain or discomfort she felt must have been unbearable because I knew she had a high tolerance for pain.
I read a friend's comment about comprehending the reason why ill fortune befalls us. Tears fell from my eyes as I could fully understand the question and the need for an answer. I had asked myself that question many times during my mother's illness and during the difficulties I had encountered in the course of taking care of her.
I had the answer once when I asked about a surgery she had to undergo. I was greatly dissatisfied with the answer I got.
Later, situation after situation made me asked the inevitable why again. I never did get any answer anymore. However, I do not mean to say that things were always bleak. There were happy times and times when sufferings breezed through for my mother because we carried them for her.
Yes, we can question why but we do not always get the answer. Even when we do, it may not be the answer that we want. We can only leave all the whys to hang on the wall for us to reflect on later in life.
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