Tribute to my mama
Today is mother's day. I wish all mothers out there a blessed mother's day and I call upon the sons and daughters to honour them on this special day.
My mum's name is Nancy Donald. She comes from an Iban-Chinese heritage. When me or my sis starts grumbling while doing our chores, my mum would tell me her childhood stories...and both of us would say, "Oh no, here goes the ancient story" or "Hmm...not the going to the bushes story again." Well, let me tell you her story. And it goes like this:
I started to cook when I was about 5 or 6 years old. In those days, we had to go to the jungle to collect jungle products for food and collect water from the river. Our stoves were not like what you have now. We had to chop the wood and start the fire. When I think back of those years, I was wondering how could my mother make a small child do such heavy labour. I really thank God for His protection because we could have stepped on poisonous snakes or eaten by a python(not that python eat people back then but it can).
When mum tells me these stories of hers while I grumble and sulk, I don't pay much hoot to it. Surprisingly, her stories does get me thinking at times. My thoughts were 'Does she gets bitter towards her mom? Does she resents her for such treatment?' So I asked my mum about it one day. How does she feel after all the hardship that she has gone through? I mean she stripped her of the joy of being a child. Her answer amazes me...
If my mum didn't do that to me, I wouldn't be who I am today (i.e. a hardworking mom, a bank officer, who cooks A-grade meals, who makes sure that her children never misses a birthday during their younger days,etc.) And neither do I resent my mum for what she has done to me. Cause if it were'nt for her, my mum would not be in existence. My mum really fought hard against her father's wishes when he said since the baby is a girl, just kill her. Its the custom of those days. If it were'nt for my mum, I would be married by the tender age of 14. And if it were'nt for my mum, I would not be an educated person because my mum stressed that even girls should have the equal opportunity to education.
Well, I'm grateful for both my mum and my Ama. I'm grateful for their life time experiences which I'm proudly ashamed to say, is truly a treasure worth more than rubies!
Do you have any stories that your mum/dad/grandparents tell you..albeit over and over again? Lets not be quick to despise it or discard it altogether. Try to sieve out the good and I'm sure you can learn something out of it.
Happy mother's day!
My mum's name is Nancy Donald. She comes from an Iban-Chinese heritage. When me or my sis starts grumbling while doing our chores, my mum would tell me her childhood stories...and both of us would say, "Oh no, here goes the ancient story" or "Hmm...not the going to the bushes story again." Well, let me tell you her story. And it goes like this:
I started to cook when I was about 5 or 6 years old. In those days, we had to go to the jungle to collect jungle products for food and collect water from the river. Our stoves were not like what you have now. We had to chop the wood and start the fire. When I think back of those years, I was wondering how could my mother make a small child do such heavy labour. I really thank God for His protection because we could have stepped on poisonous snakes or eaten by a python(not that python eat people back then but it can).
When mum tells me these stories of hers while I grumble and sulk, I don't pay much hoot to it. Surprisingly, her stories does get me thinking at times. My thoughts were 'Does she gets bitter towards her mom? Does she resents her for such treatment?' So I asked my mum about it one day. How does she feel after all the hardship that she has gone through? I mean she stripped her of the joy of being a child. Her answer amazes me...
If my mum didn't do that to me, I wouldn't be who I am today (i.e. a hardworking mom, a bank officer, who cooks A-grade meals, who makes sure that her children never misses a birthday during their younger days,etc.) And neither do I resent my mum for what she has done to me. Cause if it were'nt for her, my mum would not be in existence. My mum really fought hard against her father's wishes when he said since the baby is a girl, just kill her. Its the custom of those days. If it were'nt for my mum, I would be married by the tender age of 14. And if it were'nt for my mum, I would not be an educated person because my mum stressed that even girls should have the equal opportunity to education.
Well, I'm grateful for both my mum and my Ama. I'm grateful for their life time experiences which I'm proudly ashamed to say, is truly a treasure worth more than rubies!
Do you have any stories that your mum/dad/grandparents tell you..albeit over and over again? Lets not be quick to despise it or discard it altogether. Try to sieve out the good and I'm sure you can learn something out of it.
Happy mother's day!
Comments