The Best Present of All

        My mom, like all mothers, is the best mom in the entire world. My brother and I are equally convinced that our dad, as with all fathers, is the best dad out there.

        I vividly recall how much of a change it was to live in residence at university this year, away from home. With this in mind, some nights my parents would dash home from a long day of hard work to make soup, then brave the bad weather and traffic alike just to deliver (carefully bundled up in a mountain of towels) a steaming cup of home. It's moments like these that make me wonder… what could I possibly do for my mom and dad on Mothers' and Fathers' Day?

        Several years ago Venerable Yung Ku told us a story about a mother's love. There was once a family whose mother would eagerly look forward to dining on fish heads every time they had fish for supper. One day, she became gravely ill and her family tried to think of ways to cheer her up, by giving her what she liked best. They visited all the supermarkets for the best of fish, cooked all the fish heads and proudly presented the dish to her for dinner. As she gazed at the steaming plate, she said with a small smile, “You know, I never did like eating fish heads. I was just trying to save the best parts of the fish for you to eat instead.”

        So perhaps it's not what we give, then, but what we do that matters. It is the everyday, little, seemingly insignificant things that count – not just the yearly Hallmark or bouquet of flowers. Every day is Mothers' and Fathers' Day.

        If I were to highlight the most important thing I had learned from participating in the Music Festival on May 2 and 9, it would be that to sing harmoniously, you must learn to listen as well as you sing. Work together as a team, and not as a group of individuals. This Youth Music Festival would not have been possible without all the Venerables, YAD and BLIA members, loving parents and volunteers showing enthusiasm and team spirit for working together. Similarly, there must be a two-way street of love and respect between parents and their children in order for the relationship to work. The seed is always there if we are willing to make a commitment to nurture it with good causes and conditions, to let it grow.

        Friends may lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly, but it is our parents who help us soar. Believe in us, and we will be able to fly!

        I've learnt that – for my parents at least – to sing, or play something for them, or to take the time to sincerely appreciate all they have unconditionally given us without expecting anything in return… that's the best present of all. Oh, and one more thing: kissing them goodnight.

        Happy Mothers' and Fathers' Day.

道心　合十

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