Year two without Mom

It's been two years since my mom went home to be with the Lord. I decided that every year I would write a little something about her for those of you who didn't have the pressure of meeting such an amazing woman who had to endure raising me (that was the least of her problems, if you could imagine).

My mom lived one of the most difficult lives I have ever known. She was born and raised in Thailand; she married a man and had a son and a daughter. That same man would become an impulsive gambler, verbally and physically abusive, and unreliable at best.

She moved to America with her two young children and met another man who was even more physically abusive- not to her only, but also to her children. Since she needed his financial help, she decided to endure the abuse. But when the time came that she could afford to buy her own 7-Eleven store, she could endure the abuse of her and her children no longer. She finally kicked him out. I remember that being one of the best days of my life.

I remember my mom working long hours as a 7-Eleven clerk. She couldn’t afford a babysitter so she brought my younger sister and myself along. We would run up and down the aisles in playful laughter and come to a screeching halt in the candy section gazing in complete wonder at the beauty before us in countless forms of chocolate.

If there is one quality I want to point out right now, it’s my mom’s perseverance. There are times in my life when I’m going through something difficult and simply wanted to cash out. However, something inside me just doesn’t want to quit. First, I believe that it’s ultimately the Holy Spirit who perseveres God’s children. Secondly, though, it’s also the example of my mom who endured great difficulty throughout her lifetime but persevered because she loved her children and towards the end of her life, she endured because she loved the Lord. As a result of that endurance, she left a lasting godly legacy for her son and is now in the presence of our beautiful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.



Mom,

If you were still here, I would tell you about the beautiful wife who I married and how she’s an answer to your many years of prayer. I have no doubt that you would love Katie and her family (especially her mom, Lynn. I could see you guys talk into the night about whatever it is that mothers talk about into the night and laughing about stories of my foolishness).

If you were still here, I would take you to a Lakers game and have some good quality mother and son time. Of course, I would make you pay for parking, food, and have you buy me a Kobe jersey. If you were still here, I would find joy in the fact that you love watching your son grow into the man of God he knows he could be. I know that you would love how I take care of Katie but would demand I do a better job regardless. You would like our new dog, until he jumped on you. You would also be shocked that the dog has lived past two months under my care but then you would realize that Katie does most of the work. You would be teaching Katie how to cook Thai food and of course I would be the primary beneficiary. You would be pushing us to go to Thailand so the rest of the family could meet Katie but I would be complaining about how hot it is over there and that I don’t want to deal with the traffic, poor air quality, and the hundreds of geckos that seem to stock me every time I arrive. It’s been two years since you’ve been gone. I still feel a part of me isn’t quite whole. I don’t wonder what it would be like if you were still around, I know exactly what it would be like. And that’s what makes it difficult. But “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory” that you are now experiencing and what I will be experiencing with you when Christ returns. I’ll see you soon mom.

Your son who misses you very much,
Junior J.