Chinese Version
01-16-2019， Wednesday
There is a well－known Chinese children song called “A child with a mother is a treasure”. An old saying goes, “No matter how old you are, you will always be a child in your mother’s eyes.” Another said: “You should think of your mother while celebrating your birthday, because she brought you to the world and taught you to enjoy life.”
This year, I had my first birthday without my mother who just passed away in half a year (October 25, 1928 – May 2, 2018). Because of this, I looked at sentimental objects that carried my late mother’s love.
I am wearing a jade bracelet which was wore by my mother for many years on my left wrist everyday since 2005. The jade bracelet was a 40th birthday gift from my mother. Looking at the jade bracelet on my left bracelet, I dug out the 40th birthday card from my parents. Reading my mother’s beautiful handwritten notes, my memories of my late mother came alive with my mother’s voice; her smiling face and her likes.
My mother liked beautiful flowers and flowers with fragrant. Through various flowers, she taught me to enjoy the magic of fragrance, the charm of bright colors, and the concept of beauty when I was little. Though I lived far away from my mother for most of my adulthood, seeing beautiful flowers anywhere always reminds me of my mother. This is a very sweet and unique bonding and feeling between my mother and I.
In 2017, while chatting with Karen, one of my best friends from elementary school, about the legality of marijuana in California, Karen said, “I’ll get high when I hear my favorite songs.” I replied, “I’ll get high when I look at beautiful flowers!” We happily said unison, “We don’t need marijuana to get high.”
My mother liked to wear silk clothes, while changing to her goose yellow Indian silk shirt from a long time ago, she told me silk clothes are very comfortable to wear in the summer. I curiously touched the silk shirt and liked the material very much, because my mother’s Indian silk shirt feels like feather very light, soft and smooth, unlike the cotton clothes I wore which feel heavy, rough and thick. I learned to enjoy the pleasure of wearing silk in the summer: soft and smooth, cool and dripping, I have a few nice silk clothes and skirts.
My mother liked jade. She said to us once: “My mother was buried with a very valuable chicken blood jade bracelet, but the jade bracelet was taken away by the grave rubbers.” I never saw my grandma’s chicken blood jade bracelet, but I like red jewelry, such as red coral and jequirity beans.
My mother’s likes carry her own way of enjoying life. Her likes also guide me to enjoy life with the blending of longing and memories.
A mother who knows how to enjoy the little things will raise children to enjoy the little things in life. I am missing my mother on my birthday and thank my late mother for bringing me to the world and for showing me how to enjoy life.
Little Episodes
1. The 40th birthday card from my parents:
静川你好！
这只翡翠玉镯是妈妈送你不惑之年，四十岁的生日礼物（据资料介绍，翡翠为绿色硬玉，半透明，有光泽，很珍贵）希望你喜欢。祝你身体健康，生日快乐。并祝艾琳、杜克健康成长，学习进步。
爸爸妈妈
2005、元、1
于北京
2. January 2019，while reading my mother’s beautiful handwritten notes, my memories of my late mother came alive with my mother’s voice; her smiling face and her likes.
3. May 2017，my mother in Changping Xincun
