Monday, April 30, 2007

Always Treasure Her!

Excerpted from Inspiration from a Blind, brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com! (that's me!)


How much does your mother mean to you? My beloved mom Juliet Cheng means the world to me, and I thank God each and every day for giving me such a wonderful mom. She's the cornerstone and light of my life; the foundation of my happiness, strength, and success.


And since Mother's Day is coming up, I'd like to devote this issue to our mothers, who are our treasures. They are the people who love you the most and who know you the best. I know not all mothers fit this description, unfortunately, but for the sake of my usual cheerful issues, I will focus on the women that do make the biggest difference in our lives.


But before I do so, I'd like to share some happy news with you! I've been announced as an award-winning finalist in the National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards for my book, Waking Spirit: Prose & Poems the Spirit Sings, which I'll be releasing later this month! I'm thrilled beyond words! To learn more about my book, go to http://www.shirleycheng.com


Mothers are the women who always have a comforting smile to give, a warm touch to heal the wound, and a dogged spirit to make sure all is well with their children. They are the ones who fear not of sacrificing for what they love the most: their children. They find joy and pleasure in working hard in raising respectable human beings.


I describe my mom with one sentence: "She's a fighter, a victor, but above all, she's a lover." She embraces all that surrounds her despite the harshness of the world. Not only has she stood up for me countless times, she has also saved my life numerous times from the grasp of death. I am very serious when I say that if it hadn't been for her, I would not be here today.


I'd like to share with you the moment when my mother and I first met. The following is excerpted from my autobiography The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine in Chapter One:


"Push, push." The voices came forth through an ajar door on the hallway. A nurse opened the door wide and walked in, closing it behind her. An oriental lady with short black hair lay on a bed, covered in sweat. Apparently, she was giving birth. Ah, surely, this was a day of wondrous excitement! A new life would add to Earth's circle of life. The woman with dark eyes pushed with all her might. It was so painful, but not a single cry escaped her lips, nor her eyes shed any tears. Each contraction felt like a sharp knife was plunging deep into her soul. She tenaciously pushed on. Despite the pain zigzagging throughout her entire being, her heart was filled with an immeasurable sense of exquisite joy. This was the most important day of her life, a day that would bring happiness into her life forever, so she gratefully took the bitterness to welcome the everlasting sweetness that was to follow. She and her child would spend the brightest and darkest days together, sharing all the surprises, both good and bad, that life would bestow upon them.

It was her first child, a gift given by the Heavenly Father, and she would use her whole heart and soul to treasure the jewel. Awe invaded every crevice of her soul. She wondered what the baby would be like. Would it have big brown eyes? She did not know whether it was a girl or boy. She had gone to do the ultrasound, but it had been too early to detect the sex of the baby. It would simply have to be a surprise. She knew she would love this little life with all her might. But she had started to love the baby from the very first day of her pregnancy.

So, on she pushed. Sweat poured out, soaking the sheets underneath her. At long last, her hard effort was rewarded.

"A beautiful girl, Mrs. Cheng!" the doctor announced with a big smile. But that smile was not even close in matching the one on Mrs. Cheng's face. A girl! How happy she was. She had thought it would be a boy, and had the name "Jordan" ready. The baby was twelve days late, so a boy was thought to be the reason. Well, she was pleasantly wrong. She knew she could dress her little girl up in the prettiest of dresses, with ribbons and laces... Her eyes alighted on the clock; it read 5:52. The doctor, with the name tag Dr. Carter pinned on his white uniform, brought the baby over to the new mother. The sight that met her eyes almost made her swoon with sheer delight. She was the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. She could not take her eyes off the child, from her head full of black hair down to her tiny feet. Her skin was as white and soft as the loveliest lily petals; not a single wrinkle was present, or any places of pinkness visible. In turn, the baby was returning the gaze with her big, brown, penetrating eyes that were wide open as if searching within her mother's soul. They, at last, had found each other.


So now, back to my usual update on what's been happening at my little corner of the world. My speaking engagement at Pine Plains Lions Club dinner was a success, to say the least. My inspirational talk was very well-received. I spent a wonderful time with some fabulous people. I am very grateful of the president of the club for inviting me to be a part of their event. During my speech, the audience laughed, and some even cried, for which I'm delighted (am I mean?!). Seriously, as with my writing, it feels great that my words can bring laughter and tears to people at the same time; it is exactly what you want to achieve. When raw emotions come out, then it's a great sign that you're accomplishing what you've set out to accomplish.


After I ended my talk with "Thank you," the whole audience stood up as they thunderously applauded. Needless to say, I was--and still am--thrilled beyond words. It delights me so to see how my words have inspired people; and this is precisely the reason why I enjoy touching people's lives, if only in a small way.


And again, I must thank God for the divine intervention; for only after I lost my eyesight have I started to really reach out to people. Otherwise, I would have been doing something totally different, and I would not have become a speaker--at least, not so soon.


Until next time, remember to treasure your mother always and forever as she treasures you!


Shirley Cheng, Award-Winning Finalist, www.ShirleyCheng.com

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