Thank you all for your responses. I am truly and most sincerely touched.
My mother was born in 1921. During her early years girls were not encouraged (maybe even prevented) from going to school. Her folks believed that women only needed to stay at home, cook food, get married and serve their husband and children. But she wanted to go to school and learn. So she will leave her sandals on the house’s doorsteps to let her father think that she is home when in fact she went to school. That means she would have to go through rice fields to school…barefooted. She said she would try and hide her bare and muddied feet under her chair and would eat her lunch away from the other kids because she would only have a single and small fried fish wrapped in banana leaves. Most girls, if lucky, only finish their elementary and since schools offering secondary level education is located far into the city, a lot would just quit. But she pushed through until she finished high school and set her eyes on a college course. She graduated with a degree in Education.
I remember a very distinct story. She was in a diner celebrating a school friend’s birthday. They were laughing and talking loud when suddenly she noticed everyone eyeing them. A man stood up and approached them, handed her a newspaper and said “you girls seem to be so happy, why don’t you try reading the paper and let’s see how happy you’ll be”. They looked at the front page which stated that Pearl Harbor has been bombed and war was upon them. They were shocked and prepared themselves to leave but not before promising to each other that they would have to meet again when the war is over. That meeting shall never be. About a year after that last meeting, mom got news that her friend along with her entire family died when their shelter took a direct hit from a bomb. Mom was devastated but had no time to mourn since they themselves have to try and survive. Soon after the war ended and she tried to pick up the pieces and continued with her life. Through bombed buildings she taught in a small school. That’s how her career in education started.
There are more stories about her but I don’t want to bore you with them. I know that this is a gun forum and maybe someone telling a story about their family may not be the interest of most. I just wanted you ladies and gents to know her more. I won’t claim her to be the best over anyone, but she was more than good enough for her family.
Thank you all for reading.
Jun
