A Mother's Love

Penned By: Erlinda Mejia Olson

On Wednesday, the 17th of November, 2010 at 22:21PM CDT 

Posted on Wednesday, the 9th of May, 2018 at 20:02PM CDT

PHILIPPIANS 1:3 ~ "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."

PHILEMON 7:1a ~ "Your love has given me great joy and encouragement,"

Today, I am having one of those days wherein I just wanted to stare at the four walls, trying to relax my mind. I have been feeling a little bit under the weather. My husband, David, has been kind enough to cheer me up by reading Bible Scriptures over a cup of hot camomile tea that he made. While it is breathtaking to watch as the color of the leaves change, so as the change of the season, winter is creeping in so quickly. Then, I found myself going through some family photos, and I came across with photos of past memories. Significant events of my life that reminded me of my mother so much, and I miss her. Don't get me wrong, not that I don't miss my father, but you know what I mean, the 'mother-daughter' bonding. To make myself feel at ease, I asked the LORD, if I could take a break from writing today. So, I decided to read stories about Mothers instead. And sure enough, I found one story that took my heart away! As I was reading the story, I broke into tears. Yes, that's how this story has captured my heart, mine anyway. And, I thought, I wasn't going to write even one sentence, but I was wrong. I couldn't let this day go by without sharing this story with you. I hope it would also touch your heart as it did with mine.

Here it is...

" ... My mom only had one eye. I hated her ... she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell ... anything for the money we needed, she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school, I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school ... "Your mom only has one eye?!" and they taunted me. 

I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom, "Mom, why don't you have the other eye?! You're only going to make me a laughingstock. Why don't you just die?" My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I'd wanted to say all this time. Maybe it was because my mom hadn't punished me, but I didn't think that I had hurt her feelings very badly.

That night ... I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her, and then turned away. Because of the thing I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty.

Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I'm living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it's a place that doesn't remind me of my mom. 

This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me. "What?! Who's this?!"... It was my mother ... Still with her one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom's eye.

And I asked her, "Who are you? I don't know you!!!" as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her "How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!" And to this, my mother quietly answered, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address," and she disappeared. Thank goodness... she doesn't recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn't going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life.

Then a wave of relief came upon me... One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house ... just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. But I did not shed a single tear. She had a piece of paper in her hand ... it was a letter to me.

She wrote: 

My son... I think my life has been long enough now. And... I won't visit Seoul anymore... but would it be too much to ask if I wanted you to come visit me once in a while? I miss you so much. And I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school ... For you ... I'm sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you. 

You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye... so I gave you mine... I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me, I thought to myself, "it's because he loves me." I miss the times when you were still young around me. I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me.

My world shattered!!! Then I cried for the person who lived for me ... My Mother ..."

So, how are you doing? Did the story make you cry? Perhaps, you are not a sentimentalist like I am. The story made me miss, and appreciate my own mother in every way. Being a saved Christian herself, that even made it more special. I LOVE HER! And, I thank the LORD for my Mother!

I hope this story has made you think and thank God for your own mother.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

"Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you." (Deuteronomy 5:16).