Please Look After

Mother
Ysabella Nicole R. Cruz
IIC #12










Catching Chances by Chi-Hon
What is the beginning of regret? It is when one loses sight of reality and realizes what one has until it is
gone. I missed the opportunities I had to give back to my mother. Through this, I have learned invaluable
lessons.
Relationships are meant to be cultivated and cherished. But there are times when one gets immersed in
personal needs, so relationships are slowly forgotten. This is what happened with my mother and I. As I
grew older, I would carelessly dismiss her enthusiastic questions about my life. I would take her requests
as just chores, and take her feelings for granted. Why did I do these cruel things to her? I was selfish.
A mother does everything for her children. Love is the sole reason for her labor and endless care. Before
my mother was gone, my visits to her were shortened through time. I would only visit her occasionally.
She experienced severe headaches, but instead of understanding her weak condition, I would yell at her
before even listening to what she had to say. Why didnt I realize before that the reason why she had
done those things was because she loved me? Every parent loves their child. It all depends on the matter
of appreciating the love being given to them. These things should never be taken for granted, for the
things that parents do are irreplaceable. Selfishness should not overcome the great force that bonds a
mother and child, which is love. It should not hinder us from appreciating this extraordinary feeling.
I never fully understood Mother as a human. I always thought of her as just my mother. At one point in
my life I realized that she too was a baby, a teenager, and a person who experiences pain and sorrow.
Understanding parents may be difficult, but it truly reaps a greater love. When one chooses other things
instead of learning to love and care for the parents, one thing is bound to set free. This would be regret.
Why is it that people only realize what they have until it is gone?
Selfishness, gratefulness, and understanding, all speak of missed opportunities. One should embrace the
present and live for today. Every moment in life comprises opportunities or chances. Every chance holds
two different pathways, so it is either one loses in regret, or experiences life as bigger than love itself.
I believe that living for others, especially when they are the people closest to your heart, is worth ones
time and effort. When I lost my mom, all these feelings of regret came rushing back to me. That was the
moment I realized that I did not express my sincere gratitude towards my mother. Nothing can turn back
the clock. One cannot change the past, so the wisest thing to do is to hold on to all the opportunities that
the present has to offer. It is time for the children to be the change for the parents. After all the sacrifices
they have done themselves, they definitely deserve it. Whenever there is a time for gratitude and love to
be expressed, hold on to that chance. For when the time comes for loved ones to pass away, there would
be no regrets because the love being held in ones heart has been made known.

Unlock your heart (125,125,150)
Denied by grief (130,172)
For buried deep inside (129,174,125)
Was love (163)

The chapter emphasizes the fathers denials which led to the wifes pain. There are many reasons for this
frightening habit of his. His habit of avoiding sorrow stems from his youth. The loss of his parents, and
the effect of war on his thinking, forced him to be tenacious and elusive. All those years of holding back
the rage confined within him, was also holding him back from his wife. What is indifference? Is
indifference a result of change, or a mere choice? I think that this chapter is a tale of how indifference
came to be, and how the husband chose to express this towards his wife. Throughout the years, the
husband would deny his pains, rejecting any form of compassion from his wife. He was probably doing so
to avoid getting hurt. This is important because it shows of a mans passiveness towards his wife, which
can be seen even in the world today. The title of the chapter, Im Home, fits perfectly for the husbands
state of mind. Hes in his house, but his heart is searching for Park So-Nyo. Through time, as he
remembers all the things his wife had done for him, he realizes one thing. He realizes that he loved her.
He need not search for her elsewhere, and grieve for her, because she was present in his heart. This
chapter shows that love and compassion are even within the toughest and most apathetic of people. The
husbands realizations are so important for he acknowledged his mistakes, and finally accepted love for
what love is.