My mother embodied the essence of maternity since birth. From childhood, she was the daughter that consistently tended to her younger sibling and medically compromised parents. A sweet sense of humility accompanied a firm grin. Dark strands of hair framed a rounded face, portraying the expression of a hardened familiarity with the complex construes of every being’s daily adversities. Under the “one-child-only” policy adopted by her state government, she was intensely concentrated on satisfying her family as the alpha female, in the shoes of the imperial male. 

Her city of Changsha, China encouraged students to strive for post-secondary education, where admission was painfully selective at the time. However, she was adamant that her entire future was to be secured with a degree at one of the most prestigious medical schools in the nation. Even after being acclaimed accordingly for her studies and academic integrity, her resilience was only a sapling before she immigrated to the U.S. (with my father). As they settled in a home near the Big Apple, my parents jeopardized their income, sanity, and well-being to earn fellowships at Columbia University. To top it off, my mom was about to embark on the greatest expedition of her life: motherhood.

Present-day Mrs. Tao is occupied more with her obnoxious embarrassment of a daughter than she is with the household finances. My dad ended up inheriting that role when she left her job at the age of 42. Despite all that, her workaholism compelled her to become an insurance agent for New York Life. She typically passes her days in chic loungewear, rocking an NYFW-style bob, while laughing hysterically over the phone with a friend. 

Once in a while, she endorses the fidelities of the stock market, followed up with a melodramatic C-Drama that I still have yet to understand. But despite her individual quirks, which gives her too much pride, there is something she will never hesitate to embrace. A vacation with her husband, adult son, and soon to be fifteen-year-old “giant baby”. Overall, there is no refuting her charisma in a crowded room, or her courage when confronting a stubborn broker. She takes the phrase “guardian angel” to a whole other level. I’ll be fortunate enough if I inherited one-tenth of her compassion towards this Earth. Well, at least one day...