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study abroad. Before leaving for the could she manage. I remember that my
United States, I went to visit my father mother always woke up early and went
at the hospital. My mother waved to bed late, and she had a lot of work to
goodbye to me at the hospital gate. I do all day. At that time, our family kept
didn't expect it to be an eternal moving from one province to another in
goodbye. At that time, my mother was China, then to Yilan, Taiwan in 1949. Our
forty-nine, my eldest brother was life was always difficult, with very
thirty-two, and I was twenty-six. limited resources and supplies. If
someone in the family got sick, it was
In November 1972, I was at my home
my mother who would take care of him
in New York City when I received a
or her, all day and night. This gave her
telegram from my family in Yilan, saying
extra burden. Whenever she had free
that my mother had died of a heart
time, she had to make clothes, cotton
attack. It was like a bolt from the blue. I
shoes, and knit sweaters for us.
felt lost, thinking of my hard-working
mother, who passed away when her My mot her loved cleanliness.
sons and daughters were barely grown Although she could not keep her home
up. She passed away after putting in spotless, she always strove to be neat
great effort for our family! and tidy.
My mother got married when she was The early years in Taiwan were the
under sixteen. The Chang family was in most difficult for our family. Our home
straitened circumstances; we were very was small and our food not so
poor. My mother had to serve my nutritious, though there was no
grandfather and manage all the shortage of basic staples. My mother
housework. She then gave birth to my supplemented our meagre income by
eldest brother. An 18-year-old girl had doing whatever jobs she could find, to
to take care of the daily life of three earn even a little money.
generations. It is hard to imagine the
My mother was a traditional Chinese
great responsibility and burden she
lady, diligent and thrifty. She always
shouldered. Afterwards, our family had
worked hard and was kind to others.
to travel from place to place, as my
Even though she had no formal
father was in the army.
education, she raised us on ancient
My mother gave birth to me, three teachings.
younger sisters, and two younger
My father was a kind and easy-going
brothers. One of the younger sisters and
man, who worked hard and was careful
a younger brother died. A junior officer's
with material things. Since he did not
salary had to support our large family,
have much education, he cared very
and only through diligence and simplicity
much about the education of his children.
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