Tuyet Thi Dinh

We dreamt that our mother would live to enjoy her 100th birthday. We wished that she could have celebrated Mother’s Day with us this May. We were all devastated when she left us and this world peacefully in the early morning of April 18, 2016.

Thinking about her, we remember pictures of a beautiful, young woman marrying our father in early 1940. Her ten sons and daughters were born and raised by her; most of the time with our father, but sometimes by herself when he worked away from home. She taught us all to be dedicated to learning, to aim high, and to build a better life.

We grew up, got married and started having children and grandchildren. She always showed such profound, genuine interest in these new generations, watching them, talking to them, and demonstrating her care and endless love. In the recent years of her declining health, she found joy simply in being surrounded by us and her grandchildren or great grandchildren nearby.

She taught us how to keep up our family traditions, how to stick together, rain or shine, generation after generation.

The lyrics of a popular Vietnamese song (Long me- Mother’s love) (1) best describes how we think about our mother and her love for us:

Mother's love is boundless like the overflowing Pacific ocean.

Mother's love is ceaseless like a gentle and sweet stream.

Mother's words is soft as a whispering rice field.

The lullaby (outside veranda), the declining-moon's shades, mother.

….

Loving us, she spent many restless nights,

we had tight sleep, how happy our Mom was.

Loving us, many days and many nights,

taking pains and troubles, she cared for us til grown-up age.

Through ups and downs, our thin mother doesn't mind.

All life's hardships make her sad head hoary.

All days and nights, she's glad for us wholeheartedly.

Her sweet lullabies echo through years, interminably.(2)

Ma’, the love you showed us will live on and always be with us.

(1) Long Me – song written by Y Van

(2) Translated by N.V. Thanh