My Mom and Me

re-posted from an entry 2007/11/8

When it comes to the person I admire, the image of my mother comes to my mind. Formation of my character has been from her influence and that of my father, who passed away in 1998. She brought her three children for baptization to Buddha when they were born, as herself is a devoted Buddhist. Her wisdom and compassion make her my role model.

Although she suffers from long-term illness, she has been quite positive. When I was a college student in Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, she was sent for a surgery on one leg. [to be developed] Her wisdom toward life, her own illness, and inner strength have supported her strong will to live positively.



With firm belief about Buddhism and her own perseverance, my mother has been an excellent wife, taking care of her three children and my father every well. Although my father is a loyal husband, most of her love was left home in mainland China with his first wife. Sometimes my father could become furious as he had felt guilty of leaving home in China without preparation and could not return to take care of his own parents for his life. When we were young, the financial situation at home was not good, which could make my father restless or even angry with trivial things. Those negativities are what my mom has to face and bear, but she has been kind without compaints about my father, performing a wife's duties well.

I became a vegetarian due to my friend's advice in 1991, with long-reaching influence from my mother as well. Since being 25 years old, my mom has stayed as a vegetarian. She has cooked meals with meat for the children and the husband without regret or complaint, keeping very skinny share for her own.

Partly due to her personalities and her religious devotion, she has been one with ration, wisdom, passion, and compassion. She actually has a stronger character than I have and she does get mad sometimes in daily life, but her outlook of life is rational. [to be developed] My stable personality comes from her behaviors and her influence.

With blood and bone, I owe my mom, but even more, I owe my spiritual life to her.