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where love knows no bounds
the love that shapes me
A few years ago, I overheard my mother asking our neighbors for salt. We had salt at home, so I couldn’t understand why she would ask them for something so simple. When I asked her why, she explained, “Our neighbors don’t have a lot of money and often come to us for things. From time to time, I ask them for something small and inexpensive so they feel needed too. This way, they’ll feel more comfortable asking us for help when they truly need it.”
That moment, though small, became one of the most valuable lessons I learned from my mother: empathy, humility, and the quiet strength of support.
My mother raised us—her five children—not just with the basics, but with the kind of values that are rare to find in this world: resilience, kindness, and selflessness. She taught us what it means to be a family, to care for one another, and to share in both joy and struggle.
I’ve watched her sacrifice, time and time again. I’ve seen her wake up at 4 a.m. to prepare for the day, staying up late to ensure we were all okay.
For 14 years, while my dad was on his sick bed, my mother did it all. She cooked for us, bathed my younger siblings, took us to school, and then came back to bathe my dad and prepare food for him. She’d open her small business, run errands, and somehow…
