장한 어머니 표창 Great Mother Award
사진 좌- 나의 어머님
뇌졸중 후유증으로 걷지도 못하시고 말도 못하시는 어머님과 자부가 신체적 언어로 눈길 접촉으로 대화하고 있다. 미국 커네티컷 주 하트포드 엘리자베스 공원에서, 사진우 .
어렸을 때부터 매해 이만 때가되면 장한 어머니 표창식이 조국 한국에서 있었다.
미국에서 사는 우리 한인들의 사회에서도 장한 어머니 표창식이 한국에서와 같이 매년마다 거행되고 있다.
우리 어머님께서는 몇 년 전 저 세상으로 가셨으니 이런 장한 어머니 표창대상이 될 수 없다.
어떤 어머님은 살다가 본의 아닌 사소한 죄를 지을 수 있다.
남편을 일찍 여우고 혼자 살다가 굶은 어린 자식을 먹여 살리기 위해 남의 빵 한쪽을 주머니 속에 슬쩍 넣어 굶주린 어린 자식에 갖다 먹일 수도 있다.
다른 사람들은 그 어머니를 죄인으로 취급하지만 그런 것도 모르고 그 빵을 먹은 자식에게는 그 어머니는 장한 어머님이시다.
불우한 환경 속에서도 자식을 더 잘 가르치고 싶은 어머니의 마음, 남들보다 더 나은 학교에 보내고 싶은 어머니의 마음은 똑 같지 않은가?
이런 저런 이유로 그렇게 하지 못 한 어머님들도 장한 어머님들이시다.
우리 어머님은 안면도 섬 마을에서 농사를 지으면서 9 남매들을 낳아 길으시고 그들 중 몇 자녀들은 이 세상을 부모님보다 또 나보다 더 먼저 이 세상을 갔다.
그러면서 나를 의과대학까지 보내셨다.
어머님은 병고에다 가난하고 불쌍하게 사셨다.
이곳 미국에 이민 오시기 바로 전 뇌졸중으로 반신불수가 되셨다.
그로 인해 말을 조금도 못 하셨다.
사랑하는 모자지간이 헤어 진지 10년 만에 미국에 오셨지만
이 아들과 언어로 대화를 한 번도 못 하셨다.
거기다가 미국에 이민 오신지 2년 만에 이곳에서 뇌졸중 재발로 갑자기 작고하셨다.
돌아가시기 한두 달 전 식구들에게 손짓을 하시면서 소리를 치시기에 식구들 모두가 가까이 가봤더니 손자들과 자식들이 그 동간 드렸던 동전 한 주먹을 자부에게 내놓이시면서 큰 아들에게 무엇을 사다주라고 하시는 것 같았다.
그 날은 바로 나의 음력 생일날이었다.
바로 이날을 손꼽아 기다리고 있으셨다.
우리 어머님은 뇌졸중으로 말을 못하시는 불구자이시었다.
그렇지만 나의 어머님은 나에게는 틀림없는 장한 어머님이셨다.
이 세상에 장한 어머님들은 헤아릴 수 없이 많이 있다.
그런 분들 중 누가 장한 어머님 표창을 특별히 받을 수 있나.
1981년 5월 9일 뉴욕 한국 신보 자유칼럼 John Sangwon Lee, M.D.
나를 낳으시고 안중 초등학교, 홍성 중고등 학교, 연세 의대에 보내 공부시키고 의사를 만드신 장한 어머님
나의 어머니
I love my mom.
뇌졸중 후유증으로 걷지도 못하시고 말도 못하시는 어머님과 자부가 신체적 언어로 눈길 접촉으로 대화하고 있다. 미국 커네티컷 주 하트포드 엘리자베스 공원에서-사진 우 .
Great Mother Award 장한 어머니 표창
Photo left – My mother. It may be an image of a person, a child, a person sitting, a person standing, or an outdoor image.
My mother and daughter-in-law, who cannot walk or speak due to the aftereffects of a stroke, communicate through physical language and eye contact. Photo taken at Elizabeth Park in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
Since I was young, every year at this time, there was a ceremony to recognize my great-mother in my home country, Korea.
In our Korean community in the United States, a ceremony to recognize great mothers is held every year, just like in Korea.
My mother passed away a few years ago, so she cannot be recognized as such a great mother.
Some mothers may unintentionally commit minor sins in their lives.
To feed her starving young child after losing her husband early and living alone, she may sneak a piece of someone else’s bread into her pocket and feed it to her starving young child.
Other people treat the mother as her sinner, but she does not know it, and to the children who eat the bread, the mother is great.
Aren’t a mother’s desire to teach her child better even in a disadvantaged environment and a mother’s desire to send her child to a better school than others the same?
The mothers who were unable to do so for one reason or another are also great mothers.
My mother raised 9 siblings while farming in a village on Anmyeondo Island, and some of them passed on to this world before my parents and me.
Then, she sent me to medical school.
My mother was sick and lived in poverty and misery.
Just before she immigrated to the United States, she suffered a stroke that left her hemiplegic.
She was unable to speak either Korean nor English at all because of it.
After 10 years of separation from me, she came to America.
She had never been able to communicate with her son, me in her language.
In addition, two years after she immigrated to the United States, she passed away suddenly from a recurrent stroke.
A month or two before he passed away, he was making gestures and shouting at the family members. When all the family members got closer, it seemed like she was offering her daughter-in-law a fistful of coins that her grandchildren had given her and telling her to buy something for his eldest son, son.
That day was my lunar birthday.
She was looking forward to this very day.
My mother was disabled and unable to speak due to a stroke.
However, my mother was definitely a great mother to me.
There are countless great mothers in this world.
Among those people, who can receive a special commendation for being a great mother?May 9, 1981, New York Korean Newspaper Free Column John Sangwon Lee, M.D.
Mother Jang Han who gave birth to me and sent me to Anjung Elementary School, Hongseong Middle and High School, and Yonsei Medical School to study and become a doctor.
Dear my mother.
I love my mom.
Her daughter-in-law and My mother who cannot walk or speak due to the aftereffects of a stroke, but She was able to communicate through physical language and eye contact. At Elizabeth Park, Hartford, Connecticut, USA – Photo right.
My mother and daughter-in-law, who cannot walk or speak due to the aftereffects of a stroke, communicate through physical language and eye contact. Photo taken at Elizabeth Park in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
Since I was young, every year at this time, there was a ceremony to recognize my great-mother in my home country, Korea.
In our Korean community in the United States, a ceremony to recognize great mothers is held every year, just like in Korea.
My mother passed away a few years ago, so she cannot be recognized as such a great mother.
Some mothers may unintentionally commit minor sins in their lives.
To feed her starving young child after losing her husband early and living alone, she may sneak a piece of someone else’s bread into her pocket and feed it to her starving young child.
Other people treat the mother as her sinner, but she does not know it, and to the children who eat the bread, the mother is great.
Aren’t a mother’s desire to teach her child better even in a disadvantaged environment and a mother’s desire to send her child to a better school than others the same?
The mothers who were unable to do so for one reason or another are also great mothers.
My mother raised 9 siblings while farming in a village on Anmyeondo Island, and some of them passed on to this world before my parents and me.
Then, she sent me to medical school.
My mother was sick and lived in poverty and misery.
Just before she immigrated to the United States, she suffered a stroke that left her hemiplegic.
She was unable to speak either Korean nor English at all because of it.
After 10 years of separation from me, she came to America.
She had never been able to communicate with her son, me in her language.
In addition, two years after she immigrated to the United States, she passed away suddenly from a recurrent stroke.
A month or two before he passed away, he was making gestures and shouting at the family members. When all the family members got closer, it seemed like she was offering her daughter-in-law a fistful of coins that her grandchildren had given her and telling her to buy something for his eldest son, son.
That day was my lunar birthday.
She was looking forward to this very day.
My mother was disabled and unable to speak due to a stroke.
However, my mother was definitely a great mother to me.
There are countless great mothers in this world.
Among those people, who can receive a special commendation for being a great mother?May 9, 1981, New York Korean Newspaper Free Column John Sangwon Lee, M.D.
Mother Jang Han who gave birth to me and sent me to Anjung Elementary School, Hongseong Middle and High School, and Yonsei Medical School to study and become a doctor.
Dear my mother.
I love my mom.
Her daughter-in-law and My mother who cannot walk or speak due to the aftereffects of a stroke, but She was able to communicate through physical language and eye contact. At Elizabeth Park, Hartford, Connecticut, USA – Photo right.
