As Dr. Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway) states in the movie Interstellar, “Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space.”
But what exactly is love?
I believe that love is about compassion, patience and self-sacrifice.
But more than anything, love encompasses more than just romantic love.
I love my mom more than words can describe. I currently live several hundreds of miles away from her, but if she needed me, I would book a plane ticket and run over in a heartbeat. My mom is the most hardworking, compassionate, patient and self-sacrificing human being I know. And she’s the one who taught me how to love.
Coming from a culture that doesn’t often openly show affection, my mom loves me through her actions. Whenever I go back home, she cooks me cauliflower, noodles and tofu because she knows that those are the foods I absolutely love. She also buys me green tea or strawberry ice cream, because she knows how happy ice cream makes me.
In turn, I’ve learned to love her through my actions, as well. Whether it’s running to help her with groceries or doing chores around the house, I do whatever I can to lighten her load of work. But no matter what I do, I could never repay her for everything she’s done for me.
My mom raised my sister and me essentially single-handedly. She had to balance three jobs with raising two kids. If that doesn’t require patience and lot of self-sacrifice, I don’t know what else does. I wasn’t the easiest person to raise—I was stubborn, impatient, fickle and easily distracted. I suppose I still am. But my mom loved me despite the tantrums and even despite the angsty teenage phase. She gave up job promotions, vacations with friends and twenty-three years of her life for my sister and me.
She had compassion for me through the awkward and emotional years of junior high. She had patience with me when I was selfish, when I lacked understanding and believed the world revolved around me. She sacrificed so many opportunities and so much time to make sure that my world held together when everything seemed to be falling apart.
To me, my mother is the epitome of what it means to love. She is the reason why I am where I am now. She has been the biggest influence on my life, and she has taught me how to be kind toward other people. My mother is my role model, and I love her to no end.
So this Valentine’s Day, I’m celebrating her. I’m celebrating everything she’s done and continues to do. It doesn’t matter how much time passes. It doesn’t matter how many miles separate us. The love that my mom has given me and the love that I have for her will always transcend time and space.