Ivy

Tomorrow is my daughter-in-law Ivy's birthday. She was still in her forties when she passed away. She was, most of all, a good mother to her children, seeing to it that they were always well fed and clothed and ensuring that they had everything she didn't have when she herself was growing up. She kept our house well. That was her life, a simple one. She was proud of it, and I am humbled whenever I think of it.

Looking back at my own youth and middle age, I now wonder why I seemed to have given so much importance to my achievements. Walking through a cemetery, I see countless names on tombstones, and I wonder if anyone still remembers the persons who belonged to those names. I wonder if anyone still remembers their achievements more than they still remember the love they left behind.

Happy Birthday in advance, Ivy! Tomorrow we are buying flowers and candles for the family altar, and a birthday cake to celebrate the one occasion you enjoyed inviting others to.