Lies !!!

“A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent."

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William Blake

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Lies My Mother Told

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"Eat this rice, son. I'm not hungry"

I was born in a very poor family. Even for eating, we often lacked food. Whenever it was time for meals, my mother often gave me her portion of rice. While she would put her rice into my bowl, she would say "Eat this rice, son. I'm not hungry".

That was Mother's First Lie

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"Eat this fish, son. I don't really like fish."

When I was growing up, my persevering mother gave her spare time for fishing in a river near our house. She hoped that from the fish she caught, she could give me a little bit of extra nutrients for my growth. After fishing, she would cook the fish and make fresh fish soups to raise my appetite. While I drank the soup, my mother would sit besides me and eat the remaining flesh stuck to the bones of the fish I ate. My heart was touched when I saw that. I would use my chopstick and give the other fish to her. But she immediately refused it and would say "Eat this fish, son. I don't really like fish."

That was Mother's Second Lie

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"Go to sleep, dear. I'm not tired."

When I was in Junior High School, to fund my studies, my mother worked in an economic enterprise and brought back boxes of used matches that still had some match-sticks stuck to them. This gave her some extra money to cover our daily needs. Even during the winters, whenever I woke up in the middle of the night, I would see my mother working, supported by a little candlelight, trying to gather as many match-sticks she could from match boxes she got. In a sleepish voice I would say, "Mother, go to sleep, it's late, tomorrow morning you still have to go for work." My mother would smile and say "Go to sleep, dear. I'm not tired."

That was Mother's Third Lie

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"Drink, son. I'm not thirsty!"

For my final term examinations, mother asked for a leave from her work so she could accompany me and be my support. Morning turned to afternoon and with it, came the heat of the sun right above her head. The heat was so strong that it could burn a person's skin but my strong and persevering mother waited for me under the heat of the sun for several hours. When the bell rang, indicating that the final exam were finished, my mother immediately welcomed me and poured me a glass of cold tea which she had prepared and brought along in a cold bottle. The tea was thick but not as thick as my mother's love, which was much thicker. Seeing my mother covered with perspiration, I gave her the glass of tea and asked her to drink too. Mother said "Drink, son. I'm not thirsty!".

That was Mother's Fourth Lie

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"I don't need love."

After my father's death, my poor mother had to play the role as a single parent. By holding on to her former job, she now had to fund our needs alone. Our family life became more complicated. There wasn't a day without suffering. Seeing our family's condition getting worse, a nice uncle, who lived near my house, came to our help. He would help us in all our problems big or small. Our neighbors, who saw that our family's life was so unfortunate, advised my mother to marry again. But my mother, who was stubborn, didn't care about their advice, she would say, "I don't need love."

That was Mother's Fifth Lie

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"I have enough money."

After I finished my studies and got a job, I thought it was time for my old mother to retire, but she didn't want to. She would sincerely to go to the marketplace every morning, just to sell some vegetables to fulfill her daily needs. I started working in another city, and would accasionally send her some money to help her with her daily needs, but she was stubborn and would not accept the money I sent. She would send the money back to me saying "I have enough money."

That was Mother's Sixth Lie

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"I'm not used to this place."

After getting a Bachelor Degree, I continued my studies to get the Masters. I earned my Masters' degree from a famous University in America, through a scholarship program funded by a company. I finally went to work in that company with a high salary. I wanted my mother to come and stay with me and enjoy the life in America, but my lovely mother didn't want to bother her son, she said to me "I'm not used to this place."

That was Mother's Seventh Lie.

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"Don't cry, my dear. I'm not in pain."

My mother was now getting old, and to top that my mother got a flank cancer and had to be hospitalized. I, who lived miles away across the ocean, came home to visit my dearest mother. She lay in weakness on her bed after having an operation. Mother, who looked so old, stared into my eyes with all the love she had. She tried to spread a smile on her face even with the disease that tried to hold her back. I could see how the disease had broken my mother's body, but not her will or love. And though she had become weak and thin from outside, she was still very strong within. I stared at my mother with tears flowing down my cheeks. My heart was hurt, so hurt, seeing my mother in that condition, but mother, with her strength, said "Don't cry, my dear. I'm not in pain."

That was Mother's Eight Lie

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That was the last lie my mother said to me and closed her eyes forever!

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I read this article while surfing the net this morning and it touched my heart. I think this was written by someone from China or Korea. I have done a little editing with the spellings and the grammar of the original article, I hope the rightful owner will not hold it against me. I have also added the quote at the top of the article and would like to end it with another quote from a Spanish Proverb.

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"An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest."