Honoring My Mother, Who is My Lighthouse by Night and Landmark by Day

One of the very best things that I can share with others about me is my family. I cannot have a conversation - with friends old or new - without casually mentioning them or outrightly bragging about them! I thank God for them daily, and remember them even [more] during my sojourn here in South Korea. 

In honor of this upcoming Mother's Day, I want to love my mother from afar by dedicating this post to her. 

June 2013, University of Washington-Seattle, English Department Graduation Ceremony | 
Giving Mama the Stole of Gratitude as a small acknowledgment of her years of moral support of and unrelenting belief in my ability to overcome.

LIFE STORIES AND LIFE OF PI REFERENCES

A friend of mine once declared that mine was a story that would make you believe in God (hello Life of Pi reference). He believed this until the day he met my mother, and realized that my story - though still awesome *coughcough* - is only a humble reflection and retelling of the story that belongs to the celebrations and struggles, the tribulations and joys of my mother's life. 

May 2011, Mama supporting Emily during her Special Olympics, where she earned multiple First Place wins!

A STORY THAT WILL MAKE YOU BELIEVE IN GOD

Giving birth to me at 15 years of age (interestingly, the same age as my Korean first grade high school students), this incredible woman raised me and two younger sisters on her own in the United States. And, by "on her own," I don't just mean as a single parent without her husband, but also as a first-generation immigrant without her family, relatives, friends, neighbors, church, community or country's support. She had no house, no land, and no bank account, but was able to bulldoze through all of the challenges she faced by clinging to one thing: her faith in Jesus Christ. 

June 2013, Mama celebrating Emily during her high school graduation!

A GOD WHO PURSUES THE HEARTS OF HIS DAUGHTERS
Having been a careful (though not always conscious) reader of my mother's [life] story since I was young, I have been profoundly affected by her relationship with Christ. I observed a relationship with highs and lows, leaps, trips, and falls, and I grew in my faith in realizing that even her falls pointed her forward, always leading her closer and closer to the One who was captivated by her and had pursued her heart since she was a very young girl. 

Her faith story is a love story that not only makes me believe in just any god, but cements my faith in the capital G-God revealed in the Bible. Unlike Pi Patel, whose spiritual journey involves a belief in many gods (including Christ, Krishna, Allah, and all of India's 33 million gods), my mother only has the One name to call on and give credit to for delivering her and our family from all kinds of bondage. 

A STORY THAT REFLECTS THE GREATEST STORY OF ALL

But even on seasons, days, and hours when [obvious] deliverance did not come, I saw my mother remain steadfast in her faith. Her greatest gift to me is not her out-of-this-world delicious cooking or her homey and cozy interior decorating; her greatest gift to me is her daily act of modeling faith in the One whose story hers is ultimately just striving to reflect. 

  

December 2013, Mama drawing closer and closer as Emily gives her one of her forehead-to-forehead kisses. 

Emily is so passionate in giving these exclusive "kisses" that Mama often complains of a headache afterwards. Hahaha!

"SHE WATCHES OVER THE AFFAIRS OF HER HOUSEHOLD" - Proverbs 31:27

Christ's light shines through my mother, making her a lighthouse by night, and a landmark by day. Day and night, her love for my sisters and me stands tall, unfazed by the raging surf, and guides us back safely to shore. She keeps the door always open so that we are assured of a home to return to from our various exploits in college, adventures in study abroad trips to the Philippines, Spain and Peru, in our excursions to Morocco and various European countries, and teaching appointments in Asia. Through prayers that transcend all kinds of boundaries, including that of geography, my mother actively guards and guides those precious to her. 

When we are far from shore and cannot even see her, she still shines her light so that, in case we are heading back, we can find our way home and reach the safety of her arms. 

May God sustain her light such that she will be able to guard and guide not only her biological children, but also continue to care for and nurture many others who have and will come her way.