BACKGROUND
MOM AND DAD
Whenever I get a chance to reflect upon what is important in life, my family always comes to mind first. At the center of my family and center of my life are my mom and dad. It's hard to describe the admiration and love that I have for them. They are responsible for molding me into the person I am today. I love them more than any written words could describe.
Both my mom and dad had hard lives growing up. My mom grew up in a dysfunctional family where gambling and drinking robbed her of a typical childhood. Working since the tender age of six, my mom labored to bring home change to help buy rice for dinner. She was a hardworking and smart child but she never had the opportunity to explore her education and she didn't have the time to play like all the other kids.
My dad on the other hand, lived a very different childhood. He's the fifth child in a family of ten children. His family was wealthy financially but empty in what matters most. He grew up in an environment where money was the measure of the person. His family was the epitome of everything I find despicable in people: a family where greed and money replaces love and tenderness.
Despite these hurdles, my parents found each other and they have managed to give everything to our family which their parents and siblings could not give to them. It is a true testament to them that they managed to overcome so much in their personal lives.
My parents have taught me so much in both their words and their actions. They fled their native country so that my brother, sister, and I could have a better life and more opportunities. Imagine leaving your friends, your family, and the place you were most comfortable so that your children can have more freedom. When they first arrived in America, they literally had nothing but us the clothes on their backs. In those early days they faced racism and the limitations of being illiterate in a new society. Despite the challenges, they managed to shield us from the realities of our situation.
Moving forward twenty plus years and you can see the picture of my parents above (taken during one of the happiest days in my family's history -- my brother's wedding). Today my parents live in their own home in Alhambra, they have three children who have graduated from college, and they are expecting grandparents. Not bad for a couple that arrived in America with three kids wearing tattered clothes, no knowledge of English or American culture, and no money (not even a dime for a phone call).
Looking back, I had such a happy childhood within the backdrop of poverty. Growing up my brother, sister, and I never had the coolest toys or newest clothes but we have never been wanting of anything of real importance. My parents did a terrific job of teaching us, protecting us, and loving us. They managed it all as a young and inexperienced couple. I hope to pass along everything that I have learned from my parents to my own family one day. And I hope to be as great a parent for my children that they were with theirs.
Click here for more pictures of my mom and dad.
