Mother Hen

I don't know about your culture and what roles mothers play, but in my culture, mothers are the matriarch of the Chinese households. It may not seem like our mothers are the head of households or decision makers, but they often protect their husbands' pride while making important decisions.  In my mother's generation, a lot of females grown to become the anchors or conduits of the family.

Mid-afternoon today, I got an email from Angie and she told me that mom had some symptoms that might indicate something serious. I called mom from work but didn't get much useful information from her since she hasn't had her lab results returned. The ride home from work was a grueling one - I thought about how I never thought that mom will not be around, how I always find refuge at home no matter what happens in this world because of mom, and how I know that I am always loved no matter what I do because of mom's wicked but loving acceptance. I just have never imagined that one day, she will no longer be there... Ever...

As I drove down highway 50, I realized that I have acquired a lot of her qualities over the years, I have grown to be responsible for our family, and I am also mature enough to take over her responsibilities as a sister, wife, mother, and grandmother-to-be.  I might not be as loving as mom is with Angie, I might not be as patient as mom is with Dad, I might not be as generous as mom is with aunt Chingmei, but I am confident that I am now old enough to share the responsibilities of a mother hen.  I know that mom's healthy diet and lifestyle will continue to provide her the strength in her ability to recover from whatever it is that she will be facing, but it is also gratifying to see for myself that I can be relied upon to fill her role as the conduit and provide strength to our family...