Love is a complex emotion that can’t be defined by words- especially the love towards a mother. In The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, when An-Mei Hsu’s grandmother Popo was ill, An-Mei’s mother cut herself with a knife and put her flesh and blood into a soup that she dedicated to Popo just before her passing. An-Mei ends this anecdote by claiming that “this is how a daughter honors her mother. It is shou so deep it is in your bones. The pain of flesh is nothing. The pain you must forget. Because sometimes that is the only way to remember what is in your bones” (Tan 48).

It’s true- love isn’t just in your flesh, but the bones of your body. It’s not always expressed on the outside, but always somewhere deep within. I have a mother who sacrificed her name, Bong Hwa Jo, in order to live as Agnes Jo, my mom. To me, she is a blessing from the heavens, and I couldn’t thank her enough for everything she’s said and done to make me the person I am today. At one point she was a young woman with a dream, but now her dream became my dream. She moved to America so my sister and I could live a better life, leaving her family, friends, and memories in Korea. I want to share with you a song I heard last year that made me cry as I thought about my mother. It’s called Lullaby, and I hope all of the daughters and sons in this world can take a moment to sincerely appreciate what our moms have sacrificed, just so we can live our hopeful lives. This is a picture of my mom. She raised me with the love in her bones, and I love her with the love in my bones just as much.

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