A Mountain, Thai Food, and a Prayer

My good friend, Sharon Chan, sent me a link to a news clip on CNNBC, where Angeline Oppenheimer is voted Mother of the year. Wow, that's my name. She is an extraordinary champion of human rights, contributing 52 hours a day (is that even possible?) to the less fortunate and she fights toxic built-up. All these in addition to the high calling of motherhood. Wow--that's me--voted mother of the year. But wait, when was I congratulated by President Obama himself as the clip shows?

Of course, that's not me--my dear friend fabricated the video with the help of MomRising.com to make me happy on Mother's Day. I can't imagine I could possibly be that composite wonder mom. My motherhood is rooted in the call of the mundane--washing dishes, doing sock inventory, homework checker(sometimes, spell-checker too), offering free rides here, there and everywhere and the home-designated nagger. Actually, I would like to drop the last job description--if only my kids were like the Jones'. But you get what you get, and you don't get upset. Wait--that's like a childish saying I used to say to my whiny kids.

I take my self-inflicted (when I became a mom) duties in my strike and try not to whine too much. But comes Mother's day, I feel I needed a little indulgence--after all, it's one day in the year, when you can actually look your kids in the eyes and say, "Do I have to? It's Mother's day, after all."

So when they (that means my husband and 2 kids) asked what I want to do for the day. I did not hesitate. I want to climb a mountain, eat Thai food and pray...

Since my kids reach the treacherous age of adolescence, they have posted an invisible sign on their foreheads, only visible to parents, "Leave me alone." We no longer take walks together, no more tagging along to the stores, no more together trips to the library or any place where they will be seen with parents. We have become toxic--go figure!

So, on Mother's day, I've to conjure up some quality time. We'll hike up the little mountain, where our future house will be. Yes, we brought a piece of land but have yet to built due to many mountains of obstacles and we will pray for a favorable outcome. Joined prayers can be powerful.

From a distance, 4 persons could be seen hiking up that little mountain as the cool breeze cooled off the heat of the late afternoon sun. This scene was once the makeup of most days, when the whole family went on little trails. It felt good to be together, listening to the scrunch of pebbles under our feet and the sweet little talks we made. Ahh... for more days like these.

We ended the day with spicy Thai food, my absolute favorite. As we savored the dishes, forks and spoons clanking away, life seemed to gather its old pace but I know I already had my moments. A little moment of togetherness, a moment of enjoying each other, a moment to archive in an ordinary mother's life.