She's My Mom

This picture was taken this June down in Seaside Oregon while we spent one week with my mom on vacation. We were in a hat shop just being silly, and now it's my favorite picture. She passed away unexpectedly on August 20th.

I never knew any of my grandparents, so this was my first time experiencing the loss of a someone close. It came as quite a shock to all of us. Since that day we received the news, it's been amazing at how much love has been expressed to us. We are grateful for all the prayers, cards and our church family.

Our memorial service was perfect; it captured who my mom was and we celebrated her life. One of the things my sister and I were grateful for was our trip to Korea that we took with my mom 2 summers ago. It was my first time going there, and it gave me greater understanding of who my mom was and how her culture really did impact her life; even here in the U.S. Looking back now it means that much more to me.

There are some things about my mom that stick with me or are apart of me: she was stubborn and strong willed... this also allowed her to be a fighter and an over comer. Her main way of expressing her love and affection came in her generous gift giving and being very touchy or physical with people... which is something that comes naturally to me. I'd also say my joy of shopping and fashion savvy came from her too.

The most impacting thing about my mom was her constant prayers. She not only prayed passionately, but she knew the power of prayer. I would not be who I am today if it wasn't for mom praying. Although she mainly prayed in Korean, I always knew when she was praying for me.

My sister came across a note she wrote in 1994, during my first years of ministry experience. It was in the back of an address book and it was something she never showed me. My mom didn't express in words her love much, nor did she give a lot of complements. As I read the note, I could hear my mom telling me how proud she was of me and excited to see what God was doing in my life. It's a treasure that I will forever keep!

My mom wasn't a saint, not perfect and sure was difficult to get along with at times... this describes me too! One of the phrases that I used the most when it came to describe our relationship (especially to others) was... "She's my mom." I'm proud to say that!