I don't remember much of my early childhood.  Only from stories told by my parents have I been able to have some idea of what sort of child I was and how proud they were of me.  My Ma-Ma tells me I was a very happy, content baby that hardly ever fussed or cried.  I'm sure that made her "job" a hundredfold easier.  Pictures taken showed me as a chubby baby, with proud parents, and always willing to smile for the camera. 

I distinctly remember a picture that showed me wearing Ma-Ma's shoes at around four or five years of age.  Even at that young age, I was aspiring to follow in her footsteps.  I loved my Ma-Ma as much as any devoted son could.  I was always trying to please her, to obey her, and make her proud of me. 

She made huge sacrifices to stay home with her children.  I remember her walking me to school everyday when I was attending the first grade.  Her & my sister, still a toddler then, would walk me the quarter mile to school, and then would be waiting for me after school had let out.  As I got older and didn't need her "escort services" any longer, I still loved coming home to see her welcoming smile & receive her loving hugs.

I love both of my parents immensely, but in some ways, my Ma-Ma and I share a closer bond as our personalities are remarkably similar.  Compassion and patience were her finest virtues.  I hardly ever recall a moment when she got fiercely angry or upset with something that I or my sister did.  When we did something wrong, it was often a stern, sad, disappointed look that she would give us, and perhaps some choice words spoken in a soft voice.  That was her way of reprimanding us, and worked quite effectively.

Aside from being a mother, my Ma-Ma is also a wonderful teacher.  I remember her teaching me how to use a Chinese-American dictionary when I was around 10 years old.  It was during the summer, and the last thing I wanted to do was be indoors learning Chinese.  However, she drilled me for weeks on end, and by the time Chinese School started in the fall, I was able to look up words in the dictionary faster than any other kid in my class.

Even though there were other activities I'm sure she would have rather spent her time doing, at every sports event that I competed in, you could count on her being there on the sidelines cheering me on.  She wasn't a big sports fan at all (she never watched sports on TV), but she was always there when I was competing (whether it be soccer, or table tennis, or volleyball, or basketball.)  I was never the fastest, the quickest, or even the most skilled, but she was always proud of me for the effort I put out.

I'd like to think that the values I have and type of person I am Today is largely a result of how my Ma-Ma raised me.  Because of her, I'm a loving father, a devoted husband, a conscientious worker, a loyal son, a sympathetic friend, and an upstanding citizen.  In fact, I loved all of her wonderful qualities that I married a woman that reminds me so much of her.

Ma-Ma, shieh shieh (thank you) for your hard work and love that you've shown me through the years.  You've always urged me to try my best, and loved me despite my shortcomings and mistakes.  I love you from the depths of my heart.  You've raised a wonderful family through some hard and stressful times, but I think you can see how much we ALL love you and appreciate what you have done in taking care of us day in and day out, year after year.

I know that everyone thinks that their own mom is the best, and they are all entitled to think that, but if their moms are the best, then you are the Best of the Best.  I can only hope that I am as good to my children as you are to me.  You certainly have set a high standard to follow, but as you can see with how Tien and I turned out, it was definitely worth it.

Have a wonderful, fun, and happy Mother's Day.  But know that it doesn't take Mother's Day for me to remember what a wonderful mother I have.  That is something I remember every single day.  Ma-Ma, you are the best.  Wo Aie Ni! 

-Ni de Ching Aie De Ar Zhi,
   Hao Hao