Living in the Philippines as child, my mom grew up with very little. She was the second oldest within her three other siblings, two female and the youngest one male. They would sleep where they could and moved around a lot because my grandparents were always working. So, they were living in an abandoned church this one time and it was quite a creepy church. It was very old, very creaky, and very dark at night. You could feel a chill in your bones sleeping in that church, even in the warm Philippine nights. My mother and her siblings were sleeping there one night and they could swear that they all heard very old and heavy chains in the distance. They were all sleeping on the floor by the door, and she took it upon herself to get up and move from the end farthest from the door and move to the spot closest to the door to shield her siblings from these night terrors. She did this every night that they slept there.
It was very hot summer day in the Philippines and my mother and her siblings had been working all day so that they could buy groceries and have something to eat for that night. So after they had finished grocery shopping they saw an ice cream vendor, but they only had enough money for three ice cream cones to split between the four of them. So, she volunteered herself as the one to not get a cone just so that her siblings could have the well deserved treat they needed.
With these two short yet valuable anecdotes, it really shows your mom as a selfless person who truly cares about others more than her own self.
ReplyDeleteAww, your mom sounds super sweet and giving. She seems to be all about helping others and looking out for her siblings. She must be very kind and giving, always putting others before herself.
ReplyDeleteI like that you were able to bring out specific sensory details even though you weren't there during these experiences. I'd still like to see some dialogue as well- and even more concrete sensory details.
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