A Simple Letter

Dear mom,

When I opened my eyes for the first time, I saw a pair of pretty eyes, beaming with pride, albeit teary but filled with warmth and love. It was exactly 24 years ago that I came to this world and saw those eyes. You have watched me grow from a little infant to the man I am today. A firm and supporting gaze through times of trouble, like a lighthouse that guides lost ships at night. Your eyes still shine, as pretty as before, but what are those lines I see that accompany them? Wrinkles, left by Time himself, proof of his existence. As if those creases weren't enough, now you require glasses to see well, how I fear that one day you may not be able to see my face clearly as before. Must Time take your eyesight from you as well?

When I was a kid I would play around with your silky hair, as black as night, I remember I would fake a moustache with your hair and we would both laugh. Do you remember that one time you dyed your hair red? You came back home and thought it would surprise me. Little did you know you would be the one who would be surprised by how loud and upset I could be. Now, your once dark hair has strands of silver and white, Time hiding in a corner with his mischievous grin.

How could I ever forget your touch? Those hands that held me as a child, those arms that carried me back to my bed whenever I fell asleep on yours. From being able to carry me to struggling to even lift me, you once compared how much I have grown throughout the years. You jokingly said that I may have to carry you instead one day in the future. Those hands that I hold dearly were once smooth, now rough and filled with calluses. Once again Time has left "presents" in his path.

Although Time has changed many things that I once knew, all of them hold meaning to you and to me. The wrinkles beside your eyes are proof that you have smiled a great amount, proof that you have watch me graduate from high school, college to even university. Your hair that is now filled with strands of white, I like to think of them as vessels that are filled with fragments of the past. With each strand comes countless memories of us, from baking to travelling together, so precious that they glow. Your hands, the countless meals that you have cooked for me, how many times you've carried me when I was a small child. The warm touch that has allowed me to stay strong and determined, something I could never live without,

You poured your heart and soul in raising me, and I know it wasn't easy. I remember as a child I would hear you weep as I stood outside your door, yet I could not do anything to help lessen your burdens. You had to be a firm pillar, supporting us, preventing everything from crumbling down.

You have done and sacrificed so much for me for the past 24 years, now that I have graduated, it is my turn to support you. My only hope is that Time walks slowly, please be forgiving and give me a chance to love her back many times more than she loved me.

No words can ever describe how thankful I am for all you have done for me, you are the best in the world and I want you to know that.

I love you, mom.