Thriving 30, Volume 01: What happens when you become a better daughter?

As we grow older, we are often distracted and caught up with catching our own dreams, we forget that the people in our lives are also aging. I see her wrinkles when she smiles. I see her thinning hair as she gets out the shower. I see her shrinking body as she waters her nursery of Vietnamese herbs. I notice these pieces of her that I didn’t notice before.

• She is turning 66.

• A woman that escaped the Vietnam war. A woman that suffered from beatings of the Viet Cong. A woman that survived in a third-world country on her own at the age of 6. A woman who’ve experienced colonialism, communism and a civil war. A woman that came to America on her own, with a 15 year old, 1 year old, and carrying a child who she named after the rising phoenix.

• She lived in Oakland when E14 was not International. She lived in Oakland when Foothill didn’t have street lights. She lived in Oakland when Banh Mi Ba Le used to cost $1.50. She lived in Oakland where Christmas used to be at Laney College on Sunday at 10:00AM.

• She is resilient.

• She is braver than any president, more outspoken than any civil rights leader, stronger than any body-builder, smarter than any ivy-league.

• She is definitely on the crazy side, she is Vietnamese after all.

• Tim, it actually means purple.

• She doesn’t know it, but I’m striving to be better daughter each day. Although she won’t admit it. I’m quite sure she is proud of my accomplishments. I promise to call you more often, have dinners with you more often, and just appreciating being around your space. Being your daughter holds so much weight.

• You are a superhero.

• Happy Mother’s Day Mom.