eight lies of a mother
By applefreak
@applefreak (3130)
Singapore
July 23, 2008 1:28am CST
reading this brought tears to my eyes. how true it is, the love of a mother. it is one of the greatest love in the world. i feel so blessed that i was given this love. to those who have it, treasure it while you can. to those who don't, i am sorry to hear that.
[i]This story begins when I was a child: I was born poor. Often we hadn't enough to eat. Whenever we had some food, Mother often gave me her portion of rice. While she was transferring her rice into my bowl, she would say 'Eat this rice, son! I'm not hungry.'
This was Mother's First Lie.
As I grew, Mother gave up her spare time to fish in a river near our house; she hoped that from the fish she caught, she could give me a little bit more nutritious food for my growth. Once she had caught just two fish, she would make fish soup. While I was eating the fish in the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat the what was still left on the bone of the fish I had eaten, My heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave the other fish to her on my chopstick but she immediately refused it and said, 'Eat this fish, son! I! don't really like fish.'
This was Mother's Second Lie.
Then, in order to fund my education, Mother went to a Match Factory to bring home some used matchboxes which she filled with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money to cover our needs. One wintry night I awoke to find Mother filling the matchboxes by candlelight. So I said, 'Mother, go to sleep; it's late: you can continue working tomorrow morning.' Mother smiled and said 'Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired.'
This was Mother's Third Lie
When I had to sit my Final Examination, Mother accompanied me. After dawn, Mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the sun. When the bell rang, I ran to meet her.. Mother embraced me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared in a thermos. The tea was not as strong as my Mother's love, Seeing Mother covered with perspiration; I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said 'Drink, son! I'm not thirsty!'
This was Mother! 's Fourth Lie.
After Father's death, Mother had to play the ro le of a single parent. She held on to her former job; she had to fund our needs alone. Our family's life was more complicated. We suffered from starvation. Seeing our family's condition worsening, my kind Uncle who lived near my house came to help us solve our problems big and small.
Our other neighbors saw that we were poverty stricken so they often advised my mother to marry again. But Mother refused to remarry saying 'I don't need love.'
This was Mother's Fifth Lie.
After I had finished my studies and gotten a job, it was time for my old Mother to retire but she carried on going to the market every morning just to sell a few vegetables. I kept sending her money but she was steadfast and even sent the money back to me. She said, 'I have enough money.'
That was Mother's Sixth Lie.
I continued my part-time studies for my Master's Degree. Funded by the American Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in my studies. With a big jump in my sal! ary, I decided to bring Mother to enjoy life in America but Mother didn't want to bother her son; she said to me 'I'm not used to high living.'
That was Mother's Seventh Lie
In her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be hospitalized. Now living far across the ocean, I went home to visit Mother who was bedridden after an operation. Mother tried to smile but I was heartbroken because she was so thin and feeble but Mother said, 'Don't cry, son! I'm not in pain.'
That was Mother's Eighth Lie.
Telling me this, her eighth lie, she died.
YES, MOTHER WAS AN ANGEL!
M - O - T - H - E - R
'M' is for the Million things she gave me,
'O' means Only that she's growing old,
'T' is for the Tears she shed to save me,
'H' is for her Heart of gold,
'E' is for her Eyes with love-light shining in them,
'R' means Right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, they spell 'MOTHER' a word that means the wo! rld to me.
For those of you who are lucky to be still blessed with your Mom's presence on Earth, this story is beautiful. For those who aren't so blessed, this is even more beautiful.[/i]
3 people like this
13 responses
@Wizzywig (7847)
•
23 Jul 08
Thanks for posting this. I am very lucky to still have my mother and know full well that she has told me some of those lies in the past. Her parents were told that she was unlikely to reach the age of 18. However, she worked long hours in the fields - hoeing beet, potato and fruit picking etc. She has had many health problems and I have seen my father in tears several times wondering how he would cope without her. She is now 77, on her own having nursed dad through cancer, has arthritis in her hips & knees but takes an 'old lady' shopping each week, still keeps her garden tidy and grows fruit and veg in her greenhouse. She still always saves the first strawberry of the season for me, brings a cottage pie up for Sunday dinner if I've been working on the Saturday and is forever asking me if I need my washing doing. I love her to bits as both my mum and my friend.
1 person likes this
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
24 Jul 08
your mum is really something. i really admire her guts.
i enjoy doing stuff like that with my mum too. we usually go out for a leisure meal and grab some groceries before returning home. she is a 'foodie' so our meals are usually taken at places that are known for good food. i think i inherited that from her.
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
23 Jul 08
i am so happy to hear that. it's really great to have our parents around with us. yes my mother told me some of these lies too. i'm glad that she didn't have to tell me the rest.
your mum is amazing! i'm sure she is one of the strongest person you'll ever meet. both physically and mentally. it's not easy to nurse a spouse through cancer, neither is going on while being told that you have not long to live. she is one amazing woman and i sure wish i'll get to meet her. cheers and send my regards to her please.
@Wizzywig (7847)
•
23 Jul 08
I will indeed
We have had a day out together today - She wanted to pay the balance on her holiday and we went on to a local tourist park where we browsed some retail outlets and enjoyed the scenery. We had a really tasty lunch and then stopped off at the supermarket for a few groceries. On the way,another driver yelled at me and my mum just yelled right back at him!!
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
23 Jul 08
A really nice story you got there.
Mothers do so much to protect their children.
If only the same can be said of all mothers!
I have witness in my time, many mothers who do not know how to handle their children. And decided to do what most people would do. Give up on them. Nothing close to the nobleness that is described in the story above.
Then I have also witness those who would carry the world for their children.
Sigh...
Don't forget fathers too. They too sacrifice a lot in the up bringing of the children too!
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
23 Jul 08
yes i love this story very much. it brought tears to my eyes which says a lot. i know mothers like this and i know mothers who are not like this. i guess mothers from my parents' generation are still self-sacrificing. however, the same cannot be said of the younger generation. it seems that our society has successful transformed people into money-making machines.
and yes fathers are equally great too. i think i'm really blessed to have my parents with me now.
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
23 Jul 08
yes i am still lucky too. thank you for responding to the discussion. let's start treating our mothers nicer. maybe i'll buy her a nice dinner this weekend. take care and send my regards to your mother.
@baleleng2008 (917)
• United States
3 Oct 08
awwwwwwwwwwww....this is one of the amzing story I ever read applefreak...thank you for sharing with us...but unfortunately i dont have a mothr like her....
1 person likes this
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
4 Oct 08
thank you for your comments too. not all of us are fortunate enough to have a mother like her. not all of us are unfortunate to be in that kind of situation like them. i count myself lucky that i've not grown up that poor. have a good day ahead and maybe you can be a parent to your child like her. cheers ;p
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
24 Jul 08
it's nice to hear that you are a mother. personally, i really respect anyone who will give birth. it is like taking a risk with their lives. there are so many complications that could happen. i'm always thankful to my mother for giving birth to me. kudos to you for the courage to have a child(ren). cheers ;p
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
23 Jul 08
Thanks for sharing this wonderful story. The love a mother is indeed the greatest. For those of us who aren't so blessed, we often wonder if we ever did enough and if we were there when we should have been there. What if she was there now and how we could give her the best in life and get her to be free of trouble and pain.
God bless.
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
23 Jul 08
yes i am indeed blessed. however, i believe i will still lament that i didn't do enough when she passes on. there is a chinese saying about this. it goes - there is no greater pain than for a child to who wants to take care of his/her parents but they are no longer around. everytime i read this i ask myself if i've done enough. the answer is always no so i'm still trying. cheers ;p
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
24 Jul 08
thanks for popping by and reading the story. i hope you are as touched by it as i was. cheers ;)
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
23 Jul 08
This is a very beautiful story, and it's touched my heart. I hope that it touches the heart of everyone here!
1 person likes this
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
24 Jul 08
yes it touched my heart too. i'm sharing it here hoping that fellow mylotters will be touched too. cheers ;)
@blackmantra_x (2732)
• Philippines
23 Jul 08
good day...My aunt tool the place of my mother and does what a mother does to her son. I can't repay it even with my life and reading this rekindle the things she'd done to me. thanks for this lovely story.
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
24 Jul 08
your aunt is really a great person. i'm sure she loves you as much as a mother does. you are very lucky to have her. i believe she will be happy just seeing you happy. send my regards to her and tell her that she is a great person on my behalf. cheers
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
23 Jul 08
you were lucky to have such a wonderful mother. you know everyone is not that lucky. you were very blessed.good for you.
@excellence7 (3655)
• Mauritius
23 Jul 08
Tears have filled up my eyes while reading this story. Thanks a lot for posting this. I really liked this story. I am very lucky to have my mother's by my side. By reading this story, she has become even more precious for me now.
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
24 Jul 08
yes i felt the same way too. thanks for responding and enjoy the motherly love you have now. cheers ;p
@karjyo (830)
• India
23 Jul 08
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story. I am very lucky to have a loving and caring mother. I am staying in a different city with my husband quite far off from my home town. My mom calls me up two or three times a day to know whether am fine. If am not well she keeps insisting that she will come by air and i have to remind her that i am quite grown up and can take care of my self. But even i know that when i am actually not well somebody i miss the most is my mom. Mother is the only person in the world who can give you UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
1 person likes this
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
24 Jul 08
it is so true about the unconditional love. i always find it amazing how some mothers can put up with the most annoying child. guess in their eyes their child is an angel. ;p
do spend time with your mother once in a while. you'll never know when is the last time you'll get to do that. i always spend time with my parents as if it's the last time i'll ever do that. this way, i make sure i get to tell them everything i want them to know. cheers