Scattered thoughts, Scattered dreams, and God's love.: Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my Mom's birthday. It's weird how it takes a birthday to realize how grateful you are for someone. My mom has gone through so much for me and has sacrificed to no end. I don't think I know half of the stuff she has gone through to put me in a place of such privilege and blessing. She is one crazy woman. She came to America with her best friend and my aunt and uncle without knowing English, and without knowing anyone at the age of 24-26. She eventually went back to Korea for a little bit and found my Dad and then came back to live the American dream. A few years later they had my sister, and then me the wild child. The kid who couldn't sit still for a minute, the kid who was constantly in the hospital for injuries and surgeries, the kid who was always in the principles office because he was distracting the class, the kid who she has prayed for and still prays for everyday. The kid who hated to study, and wanted to play all the time, but somehow she pushed me through College and now I'm getting my Masters....you talk about a woman of determination. To get me through all that schooling???? WHAT??

I came to a huge realization a couple of years back that I get my sense of adventure and craziness from my Mom. People often ask me, why did you go to Gordon, all the way across the country? Well God, is the first answer but the sense of adventure, that is definitely my Mom. The same woman that came to a foreign country with a dream and a hope. I just flew across the country, and I had a great environment to come to (Maybe I was trying to get away from my crazy Mom who was trying to push me to be the best I could be too). Up and down the East Coast for the last 10 years, and grateful for the leap of faith that God made me take.

How about the fact that I have so many great friends all over the place? That would definitely be my Mom as well. I remember going on vacation every summer with my family and no matter where we were, we would run into one of my mom's nursing friends from Korea. Yosemite, Yellowstone, Chicago, New York etc....it's amazing to think about it. Similar to my Mom you think? I remember once when I was in New York for my sister's graduation from Med School, and I convinced her to go to a Yankees vs. Red Sox game with me. I was eating a hot dog outside the stadium when all of sudden a random girl starts staring at me....it was my friend Tina, and she was with a bunch of college friends going to the game. No big deal, there are only a billion people in New York and 40,000 people at the game, it's not like it's easy to plan out meeting your friends there rather then run into them by chance. I see my Mom in me so much it is kind of scary.

So today, I celebrate my Mom, and the fact that I am so similar to her and how awesome it is to be associated with such a great woman of God, is a blessing.