We All Have Three Mothers

Later I realized that people do not grow up suddenly one day. The first time she learned to endure was when she saw her mother swallowing a grievance; the first time she learned to walk was when she saw her mother carrying a suitcase and leaving a door; the first time she learned to count was when she saw her mother silently handing out the last piece of meat to others at the dinner table, and then making strokes in the account book late at night. Mothers rarely teach us "who to be." They were just getting by.