《母恩似海》

母親節，懷念一位偉大的母親

 

作者：柯金寅 (Kin Ko)

2022年母親節 (Mother’s Day 2022)

慈母生於1912年，於1996年辭世，享年八十四歲。

先父生於1912年，於1941年離世，享年二十九歲。

先父與慈母生於同年，先父離世後，母親沒有再婚，專心上奉公婆，下養五個兒女。在先父離世前兩個禮拜1941年12月8日日本偷襲珍珠港引起太平洋戰爭。當時日本統治台灣已歷四十六年，在戰爭期間，一切糧食及資源都要供應及支援日本前線戰事， 民間物資缺乏。那時長兄金標才八足歲， 美姊才六足歲，秀蕾姊才四足歲， 我才三足歲，燦弟才二足歲。五個小孩， 嗷嗷待哺。母親與父親是同年晚壹個月出生的， 二十九歲就失去了丈夫，上奉公婆，下養五個兒女， 在戰時是相當困難的。大我壹歲的秀蕾姊在小學一年級時，因晨操舉手不直被老師從後頸重打一下，內傷倒地， 藥石罔效，幾天後於1944年12月4日以七歲幼齡與世長辭，母親為此悲痛不已，四十年後來到美國， 還在想念她。

台灣舊的習俗是丈夫不在, 長子承担家長的義務與責任，所以母親對於大哥的培育也特別用心。大哥天賦聰明敏慧, 生性活潑外向，學業活動都名列前茅，因此易遭嫉妒， 發生的事故也較多。記得有一天，大哥從小學放學回來，滿頭臉都是血，母親相當震驚，一問之下，才知他與同學玩陀螺，台語叫「干樂」，是一種玩具，一塊圓木上頭配上尖釘，繩子緊綁尖釘後一拉，整個玩具就在地上旋轉不停。 因為大哥每次都贏，同學不服,就群起圍攻，用「干樂」上的尖釘在大哥頭上猛打。那時我才進小學一年級，大哥是六年級，他頭上的血把我嚇壞了，不敢去上學，母親就拿著長竹條鞭，在後面逼我上學，她說 ”不必怕,人在做,天在看”,“認真讀書才能出頭天 (出人頭地)”，母親這一鞭，打下我勤學上進的基石。母恩似海，永懷難忘。

大哥小學六年畢業後, 沒有考上大家響往的省立中學, 而進入了彰化縣立鹿港中學。母親擔心鹿港離我們花壇鄉三家村的住家很遠，上學不便，就把大哥寄託在離鹿港不遠的崎溝仔姑姑及姑丈家。當時姑丈與姑母家， 經濟上並不太好， 母親愛子心切， 每星期都挑著扁擔，帶了多量的米、花生油、蔬菜等食物，步行十六公里，給姑丈母家補充糧食。姑丈當年擔任鹿港地區甘蔗會社的委員，因為他自己的小孩年紀還小，有什麼差事， 都派大哥去處理， 所以大哥在鹿港初中三年期間，沒有充裕的時間專心念書做功課，母親從大哥同學口中， 得知大哥畢業成績，, 很不理想。母親深知大哥很有天賦，只要有一個安靜的環境, 讓他專心念書, 一定可以考上省立高中,為此母親步行十公里到彰化市, 懇求當年太平洋戰爭時期，為了逃避美軍飛機轟炸,遷離市區住在我們鄉下家的王守仁先生夫婦,收容大哥,讓他專心念書準備考入省立彰化中學高中部。守仁叔與嬸嬸一口答應,在這一兩個月期間,大哥晝夜不停的專心念書,守仁嬸嬸常看到大哥,在椅子上睡著了,書本還貼在胸上，母親得知後，高興不已,覺得考上彰中，希望很大。在這期間， 母親每過幾天就帶著雞鴨等貴重物品，徒步送到彰化王家，以感謝王叔嬸收留大哥之恩。結果大哥不負所望， 順利考入了省立彰化中學高中部，上學後, 學業成績進步很快，半年之後，就 名列前茅。高中畢業後在當時沒有聯考的情況下，順利考上了台灣最高學府台灣大學、政治大學等多所名校。大哥是全鄉第一位進入台灣大學的,佳音傳來，舉家及鄉親雀躍不已，母親每次回憶這段故事，有無比的快慰之感。

長我三歲的姊姊， 從小多病, 讀到小學三年級就因體弱沒有繼續上學。長大後 憑媒妁之言， 使姊姊婚姻很不美滿， 母親為此終生歉疚與遺憾，在美國我常常安慰她，姊姊四位兒女，承襲母親良好的基因，力爭上游，都受過高等教育，還出了一位美國大學畢業的科學博士，姊姊的成就已超越一般大眾，是值得欣慰的，不必為追不回來的往事而生傷感。

我出生第三年1941年發生了太平洋戰爭，日本統治下的台灣，我們農田生產的稻米都要全部繳給日本政府，支援前線戰事， 每個農家靠著很少的配給過日子， 因為配糧不夠，所以都要吃稀飯。我吃不下稀飯， 母親只好在稻米繳庫之前， 把米藏起來。不幸有一天， 藏米被警察查出，將我母親與祖父抓去警察派出所，母親被打了一頓後放回， 進一步在日本警察指揮監督下命令祖父跪下受刑，兩個警察拿了一條長木棍， 橫放在祖父跪在地上的兩腿上， 兩端各站上一個警察在祖父腿上來回滾壓，第三個警察拿一長罐子装滿了水,左手擰住祖父的鼻子，右手將水灌進祖父口中，祖父年紀不小，那能忍受這種惨無人道的酷刑，直到尿屎流出，才停止行刑。日本這種惨無人道的歷史文化， 幸虧戰敗後，受了美國的徹底改造，才與西方人道文明接軌。

少我壹歲的弟弟，從小就在皮膚及下巴上長了很多膿瘤,很難治愈， 母親為此遍求中西名醫以及沒有掛牌的庸醫。一聞有人有秘方可以治療燦弟之病，一早就背著弟弟再遠也得去,來回都要耗掉一天，常常在黑夜回家的路上，要鬥過惡狗才能過關。最後有人介紹喝新鮮的蛇肉湯治療，結果相當有效，膿瘤也慢慢消失了，母親為此相當欣慰。

我十來歲的時候，我們家養了一頭耕田用的牛，我放學回家，母親常常叫我到草原上放牛。常常有人到我家向我母親告狀說我們家的牛吃掉他們田園裡的農作物，我母親要我先向告狀者道歉，然後叫我伸出雙手，在我手掌心上打給告狀的人看。等告狀的人走了後，母親眼睛紅紅帶著淚痕，拿起我的雙手「寅阿！我曉得你是被冤枉的，手痛不痛？」

母親上奉公婆， 下養四位兒女， 耕種養家， 都落在她一個人身上，相當辛苦，農由耕種時期，常有缺水現象，農夫採輪流灌溉，母親夜宿田邊草坡上，忍受蚊蟲襲身，提防毒蛇近身，輪到她的順序時，常有不講理的男人不讓，她据理力爭，我曾看到她被打得青腫回來。

我祖父有個哥哥生了一個男孩，他父親早逝,從小我們祖父供他衣食養大， 他患有羊癲風病症，病症一發， 就六親不認，到我們家找麻煩打人。1948年在環境清潔日那天，夜幕已開始低垂，他又發瘋了，手握長桿割樹枝刀過來挑釁，祖父也剛好拿著大概同樣長的長桿割樹枝刀在整理樹枝。祖父看他來意不善，叫母親及我們小孩躲入屋內把門鎖起來，讓祖父一個人應付他，我們在屋內只聽到喀啦兩聲及一聲尖叫，我們以為年紀大的祖父敵不過身強力壯的那位瘋子，己經被打傷了，母親立刻開門趕出去，驚喜的看到祖父好好的站在那裡，可是那位瘋子不見了。第二天消息傳來，這位瘋子死在醫院裡，原來兩刀相拼,祖父拿的長桿刀，在祖先及神的福廕下，割斷了瘋子的長竹桿刀柄，瘋子生銹的刀掉下來切進他的頭部，尖叫之後，就跑到附近的醫生診所，結果破傷風病逝。 這一下,不得了啦，警察把祖父與母親一起抓去，在派出所裡行刑取供，逼母親承認是共犯，鄉親看不下去,向警方陳情,才把母親放了回來。祖父坐牢一年多，送了幾個紅包後，也以自衛之由，被釋放回家。

我小時候，很喜歡跟著母親回娘家，因為外祖父母很疼愛我們，摸摸我們的頭，給我們好吃的東西。因交通不便，每次都是母親背著小弟， 我與大哥，姊姊手牽者手，快快樂樂地跟著母親攀山越嶺才能抵達外公婆家。每憶此景，總會帶給我相當濃厚的甜蜜之感，如果當時身上帶有照相機把此景照下來，將是我一生中很寶貴的一頁。

外祖父母，生有五男三女，母親在女行中排名第二。當年外祖父有請老師晚上到家裡教授舅舅們漢文，在當年重男輕女的習俗下，女孩子沒有機會接受教育，好學的母親只好從門縫中聽課。母親記憶力相當強，聽過的文句都可以記下來。記得我在中學時國文課開始念四書五經，那時候大哥已離家在臺北上大學，我自己在家溫習功課時就用國語出聲念起”大學之道,在明明德—-“,母親一聽，就對我說“我教你用台語念比較好聽”我真得跟母親用台語一句一句的念下去, 像唱歌一樣,很容易記下來，我好高興。以後每逢有關四書五經文章的考試，我都得滿分，不過當時學校禁講台語，我也被罰站及記過了好多次。

母親在美國時，有一年台灣各大學聯考出一個四書的題目， 我就跟母親開了個玩笑說”媽 ! 妳當年教我念的四書語句錯了“大學之道, 不是在明明德, 而是像聯考時學生所答的” 大學之道是在台北市羅斯福路三段(台灣大學的校址)” 她笑著說” 你們讀書讀到那裡去了!!”

 

母親在美國快樂的十五年

母親於1977年來美國與我們住在一起，1992年離美返台定居，在美國前後共十五年，在美國她老人家放下了一生在台灣勞碌的重擔，含飴弄孫，是她一生中最快樂的十五年。

母親一到美國就很喜歡這裡的環境與家庭生活， 她一生勞累慣了，閒不住就在後院種起菜來，我以前自己在後院闢地種菜，都沒有成果， 母親手到菜長，每年夏秋， 我們都不必到店裡買蔬菜。我們住在紐約長島時期，鄰居有一位退休的老先生， 其實他並不老， 才六十五歲與母親年齡差不多， 每天躺在後院搖椅上，無所事事， 看到我母親揮鋤闢地， 不亦樂乎！有一天我下班回來，看到他躺在後院，氣喘如牛，直呼腰酸背痛，原來他也想學我母親闢地種菜，買了ㄧ套鋤頭， 揮了兩下後，就受不了。從此以後對我母親肅然起敬。

1981年為配合夫人上班地點, 我們舉家搬離長島到紐澤西定居, 母親又在後院墾地種起各種蔬菜，對面鄰居有一位退休的女老師， 每天不運動，身體相當胖，常常帶著一把椅子， 坐在菜園旁邊， 看我母親不停的工作。 因羨慕母親年齡比她大, 但身體不胖，精神好。有一天她要我當場翻譯問我母親” 有何秘訣, 保持不胖的好身材” 。母親馬上要我回答她說” 晚上八點就要上床睡覺，早上四點鐘起床跟我一起種菜，全身運動 ，呼吸新鮮空氣，保證體重會下降。”她回答說 “晚上八、九點,正是電視節目的黃金時段，怎麼可以閉眼睡覺呢，早上四點, 太早了起不來”。我母親小聲的說” 那就無藥可救，只好繼續胖下去囉！”

因為我與夫人都在上班,母親常常在我們兩個小孩上學時間，自己徒步到市中心市場去買生活必需品，她英語一殼不通，可是市場來往， 好像還滿順利的。不過有一天鄰居過來跟我說 “你母親今早在菜市場幾乎闖了大禍” 我問媽， 到底是什麼回事？ 她笑著說 “今早我在菜市場買了五元半的肉， 拿了一張二十元鈔票給櫃台小姐， 她只找回給我四元半， 顯然她誤將我給她的二十元當作十元鈔看待，因為我跟她語言不通，也不會寫字， 只好再出示一張二十元鈔票給她看， 她不理我， 指著後面的很多人在排隊，揮手要我離開。我很不服氣， 到外面停車場看到一位穿制服腰部掛著槍的人， 猜想八成是位警察， 我就當他前面， 出示剛才購物帳單、找頭的錢數及一張二十元鈔票。 這位警察先生，似乎很快就了解了情況， 揮手要我跟他進入店裡， 他一入店就和一位坐在服務台的人員講起話來，這位先生與警察到我剛付過錢的櫃台把那條線關閉掉， 打開收錢櫃， 核對帳單，清點鈔票， 結果多出十元， 馬上還給我， 這位店員與櫃台小姐一直向我鞠躬， 聽不懂他們在跟我講什麼， 好像是在向我道歉的樣子” 。母親把故事講完後，我捏了一把冷汗。 這個事件過後，有一天，我下班回來， 看到堆在桌上準備丟掉的過期優惠卷不見了，我說 “媽！是不是妳拿去菜場用了， 那些優惠卷都是過期的”, 母親回答說” 我看不懂, 怎麼曉得是過期的, 不過我一進這家商店， 很多穿制服的店員，都對我笑容可掬， 我拿給他們的優惠卷都給我兌現了” 。我想大概是上次店裡出了差錯，不敢再惹這位在她字典裡找不到『懼怕』兩個字的勇敢東方女士。

母親來美國後，常常惦念著在台灣的子女及孫子女，所以我盡量每一年安排母親回台灣一趟看看他/她們。1970/1980年代, 飛美國與台灣的中華航空公司 (華航) 航班 ，只飛到美國加州，從紐約起飛回台, 要先乘坐美國航空公司(美航)班機到洛杉磯， 換乘華航飛回台北, 我因公務羈身， 很難每次陪她回去，我就寫了一張牌子” Tea” “Chicken” 兩個英文字， 掛在她胸前， 每次空服人員前來送飲食時， 拿給他/她看。 在洛杉磯接乘華航班機後, 因機上空服人員, 會講台語, 飲食出入境文件填寫, 都不成問題。當時我夫人的哥哥(台灣習慣稱呼為” 阿舅仔”)在華航洛杉磯辦事處服務， 在洛杉磯接機轉機事宜， 都請他代勞，幾年來皆暢通無阻。不過有一次，母親週末啟程回台灣， 阿舅仔因高速公路上塞車，無法趕上接機時間，當時美航與華航在不同航廈，要經過一段路及幾個建築物後才能從美航走到華航上飛機。母親走下美航飛機後等了一段時間看不到來接機的阿舅仔， 母親再度展現她不『懼怕』及平靜的心情， 拿著我給她準備好的護照及機票袋， 看到穿載有飛機標誌制服及帽子的人員，就給他/她看， 他/她就帶母親走一程後就停下來， 輝手道別, 母親只好再如法泡製， 再找一位願意帶她的空服員，往華航機棚前進，經過幾次折騰後，終於抵達了華航入機口。她回美國後, 我心驚膽顫的聽了她細述這個故事後問她 “難道妳不怕趕不上飛機，一個人在離紐約四千公里外的洛杉磯怎麼辦？” 她回答說” 我那時只專心於如何一個人能順利趕上華航的飛機，『懼怕』一直沒有在我腦海裡浮現過。

在美國東北部紐澤西， 每年冬天常酷寒冰凍，將車房門都黏住，甚至潑了熱開水都打不開，每次都要動員我年小的兒子用鐵鎚與我一起花幾十分鐘時間敲開冰塊，才能打開車房門。有一次，母親看到我們父子在車房門前敲敲打打， 她覺得好笑說” 你們都給我走開，去各拿一盆熱開水來， 我心想，我們都試過了， 到底母親有何新的竅門，不久後，我與兒子各盛了一盆熱水，她手拉住車房門把手，下令我們潑下熱水， 她即時一拉車房門就拉開了。 我非常詫異, 但仔細一想，我們以前潑下熱水後再移手去垃把手，這時差雖短, 週圍溫度太低，冰又凍結回來了， 才拉不開， 由此我非常佩服母親對自然現像的了解。

有一次，我們全家開了二十小時的車南下到佛羅里達州迪士尼樂園渡假， 母親把電鍋、碗筷、肉鬆、煮菜油、米、肉菜等食物通通帶齊, 我就很好奇， 因為我們住的旅館沒有廚房，媽媽到底有何祕訣， 可以用到這些材料及餐具，結果我們在旅館每天起床時，媽媽已經將三餐及肉菜都用電鍋煮好了。

1991年八月我陪母親回台慶祝她八十大壽， 壽筵簡單隆重，親友子女及孫子女齊聚一堂，為她祝壽，母親非常高興。

母親一生在台灣習慣於台灣的亞熱帶氣候，對於美國東北部的寒冷冬天相當難以適應， 每年冬天， 溫度下降，血管也跟著收縮，常有頭昏的毛病，我擔心如此下去，可能會演變成中風。1991年冬天發生了輕度中風，我就覺得台灣天氣對她的身體健康比較好，所以1992年春天我親身送她回台灣定居， 那時候大哥已舉家遷居美國加州，只有姊姊住在彰化花壇，弟弟全家住在台北，母親也就常常往兩邊跑，不過住在姊姊家的時間比較長。

母親在台灣住了四年, 於1996年八月因病與世長辭。嗚呼哀哉！痛失慈母，不勝哀傷， 母恩似海， 難以回報。

俗語說「十年種樹，百年樹人」我們柯家壹百多年來，壹代比壹代進步，母親的任勞任怨，刻苦耐勞，無懼的持續奮鬥精神，居功甚偉。

這篇紀念文，本擬於多年前寫好在母親節在報紙上發表出來, 但因每次下筆寫到母親的辛苦、受苦與犧牲時， 眼淚遮蔽了我的視線， 多年來在這痛苦的掙扎中， 終於寫成了。 慈母手中線，遊子身上衣，際此母親佳節， 倍感思親，謹撰寫此文緬懷一位偉大的女人：我的母親。

祈禱母親在天之靈，平靜安息!

 

[A Mother’s Love, the Size of an Ocean母恩似海]

Mother’s Day in Memory of a Great Mother

 

My mother passed away 26 years ago at the age of 84.

My father was born in same year as my mother but passed away in 1941 at the age of 29, when I was 3 years old.

Mother never remarried, and devoted her life to caring for my grandparents and raising five children—ages 8, 6, 4, 3 and 2 at the time of my father’s passing. One girl was my sister who was one year older than me. She died at the age of 7 after the teacher hit her in the neck because she did not hold her hand up high enough during elementary school morning exercise. Mother was heartbroken and this tragic loss stayed in her memory throughout her life.

Due to the old Asian tradition of depriving women of the opportunity for education, Mother had never entered school and could neither read nor write.  However, her desire to learn was unstoppable. Her father had hired a private teacher to teach her five brothers to read and study Chinese literature, the “Four Books & Five Classics四書五經,” in Taiwanese  during evenings at home. Every night after hard laborious work, Mother’s ears touched the closed door of the classroom and listened to the teacher’s voice and recited word by word with the teacher. She had an amazing memory and memorized all the words and sentences she heard through the closed door.

In high school in Taiwan “Four Books” was a required course in Chinese literature class. Mother taught me by reciting after her in Taiwanese instead of Mandarin, even though Mandarin was the official language of instruction. I was so delighted that reading “Four Books” in Taiwanese was like singing a song and very easy to memorize the entire text. In school, I changed to Mandarin and was the only one in the class able to recite the entire text assigned. I always received a high mark in Chinese literature courses due to Mother’s teaching.

When I was a teenager, we had a cow to pull the plow for tilling the soil in the rice paddy in seeding season. After school before dark, Mother always asked me to feed the cow in the open grassland.  Frequently, there was a false complaint to my mother that our cow had damaged the crop of his/her farm. Mother asked me to apologize and extend my hands with palms up. She hit me on the palms in front of the complainer to appease him/her.  After the complainer left, Mother, in tears, came to hold my hands and said, “Son, I knew you did not do it, did the hands hurt?”

In 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor which ignited the Pacific War involving the United States, Japan and China. At that time Taiwan was ruled by Japan as a colony, and because the government collected all farm products produced by all farmers to support war efforts, citizens received only a small ration to feed the family. Most of the family was forced to eat the diluted rice meal but I could not take it at my infant age. My mother hid some more rice to feed me before giving all up to the government. One day Japanese police through the whistle blower found the hidden place. Mother and my grandfather were arrested and detained in the police station. They were brutally beaten and tortured by the police.

When I was in the first grade at elementary school, my older brother was a sixth grader. One day he came home with blood all over his face because of a violent attack by his classmate. I was very scared and afraid to go to school. My mother broke a branch from a tree and chased me to go back to school and yelled at me, “Whatever we do on the ground, we are watched by God from the heaven above. Do not be afraid and go back to school, for only through a good education can you climb to the top of the crowd and have a good future.” Mother’s yelling and chasing me to go to school laid down a solid foundation for my pursuit of education and moving forward.

In old days in Taiwan during the drought season, we took turns to irrigate the rice paddies. Mother had to stay all night at the wasteland next to our rice paddy to wait her turn. At the wasteland, mother had to fend off poisonous snake attacks and insects and mosquito bites.

Mother came to America in 1977 to stay with us and returned to Taiwan in 1992. These 15 years marked the happiest moments of her life. In Taiwan, busy work deprived her of time for grandchildren, but here her face lighted up every day to tell me happy stories with her grandchildren Alice and Victor. She loved to stay here even though she could not speak nor write a word of English. Once every few days mother pulled a shopping cart and walked to downtown to buy groceries and cooked meals for us.

One day, she went downtown to Foodtown supermarket and bought $5.30 worth of groceries. She gave the cashier a $20 bill but only got $4.70 back. She felt the cashier made a mistake and showed another $20 bill to the cashier, but the cashier wouldn’t blink and asked my mother to leave because a long line had formed behind her. My mother’s dictionary does not have the words “GIVE UP” so in the parking lot she saw a man in uniform with a gun on his waist. She thought he must be a policeman, so she approached him and showed him the receipt, the change she got back from the cashier and a $20 bill. The officer was immediately aware of the situation and walked with my mother into the store. The officer asked the manager to shut down the checkout lane and counted the cash in the register/drawer. It turned out that the drawer had $10 extra cash. The manager came to apologize and gave back $10 to my mother. This is the story my mother told me in the evening after the incident. I was very surprised with Mother’s bravery.

Many days after, the expired coupons that had piled up on my desk all disappeared. I asked my mother and she said, “I don’t know how to read and write, so I do not know the expiration date you are talking about, but the store (Foodtown) cashier accepted all the coupons with a big smile and hug.”

During that time, the Taiwanese airline did not have flights coming to New York, so you bought a ticket from New York to Taiwan with American Airlines (AA) which carried passengers from New York to Los Angeles (LA), and then on to China Airlines (CAL) to Taiwan. At LA my brother-in-law William who resided in LA came to AA terminal and brought my mother to CAL for the flight to Taiwan. One day, due to a traffic jam in LA, William could not arrive at the AA terminal on time to meet my mother. So, my mother put all documents including ticket and passport in one hand and stopped in front of any person wearing a flight attendant uniform to ask for help. The flight attendant brought her to the next terminal and waved to her to go further. She repeated asking and stopping many times before reaching the CAL plane and was the last passenger to board the plane. After learning the story I asked my mother, “Did you worry if you did not catch the flight what were you going to do 3000 miles away from our home in New Jersey? Mother said, “I did not have time to think about those (negative things), I was only concentrating on how to catch the flight.”

Mother had a vegetable garden in our backyard. Every summer and fall we always had fresh and organic vegetables on our dining table. Our neighbor across the street, Joan, was a heavy lady who frequently brought a folding chair to sit at our backyard to watch my mother working in the garden. Impressed by my mother’s slim and healthy shape, she asked my mother, through my translation, how she did it. My mother said to her, “Every day you have to be in bed around 8PM and get up at 4AM to work in the garden with me.” Joan said to my mother, “Oh! no! 8PM is TV primetime and 4AM is too early for me to get up.” My mother asked me to tell her, “Then there is no way to slim down and shape up.”

In the frigid winter, sometimes we could not open up the garage door because the bottom was glued to the ice. I poured hot water on the bottom of the door, but still could not lift the door up. Therefore, my son Victor and I used metal instruments trying to chip away the ice and open the door. My mother saw it and laughed, “Just go get a bucket of hot water for each corner and wait for my order to pour the hot water on the bottom of the door.” When the hot water was ready, and with her hands on the bracket of the door handle, she asked us to pour the water on and then she immediately lifted up the door and the door was opened. I realized that I poured the same hot water at the same spots and by the time I put down the bucket to lift up the door, the melting ice had refrozen again. I was so impressed by my mother’s intuition and wisdom.

A famous Chinese saying, “It takes 10 years to grow a strong tree, but takes 100 years to build a solid person (through many generations of cultivation十年種樹，百年樹人).” Therefore, Ko’s family mission has been to strive for the next generation to be better off than the current one. Our family history has shown that our mission has been more or less accomplished in the past 150 years of recorded family history. My mother played an important role and made a great contribution to this accomplishment.

For the celebration of Mother’s Day and in memory of my great mother, I am deeply indebted to her love and care. Furthermore, her ”Never Give Up” and hardworking spirit is deeply built into my bloodstream, which has helped me to fulfill my American dream and achieve a comfortable and happy life in America.

My dear and loving Mother, I pray for God’s mercy and blessing bestowed upon your soul, and may you rest in peace in heaven.

 

 

Source From 柯金寅先生 （Kin Ko)

Posted on 04/30/2022