A special person in my life

If one day I become a mother, would I be able to sacrifice my health, time, and even my own dreams for my children the way my mother has sacrificed for us? That question often lingers quietly in my mind whenever I look at the marks that time and life have left on her.

Because of caring for us, my mother has endured countless seasons of sun and rain. The hardships of life and the passing years have worn down her body and changed her appearance. Her hands, once soft, have become rough with time. Yet those rough hands have always been the warmest place for us, always there to protect and support us through every stage of our lives.

My mother has always been very frugal with herself. Every expense she spends on herself is carefully calculated. But when it comes to her children, she becomes incredibly generous. She always saves the best things for us, always worries about us, and thinks about our future in every little detail. Looking back, I realize that for so many years, she has rarely truly thought about herself. Meanwhile, there have been times when I have spent money carelessly, far more wastefully than the careful savings she has made.

What pains me the most is that my mother—who had gone more than twenty years without ever needing to go to the hospital—has now become much weaker after just one unexpected hospitalization and a period of physical therapy. Time suddenly feels as if it is moving faster for her, and I have begun to feel that the time we have with her may not be as long as it once seemed.

And here I am, still standing on my own path, moving forward slowly, step by step. I still have not done anything significant enough to repay the sacrifices she has made for us. I do not know what I can do to give back even a small part of what she has given to her children.

What I fear most is not how difficult the road ahead may be, but that I do not know when my mother will finally be able to enjoy the happiness and peace that should come from her children. I only hope that when that day arrives, there will still be enough time for me to tell her just how deeply grateful I am for everything she has done.