Retirement

I'm home for the holidays and I went to my mom's retirement ceremony. She has worked for the same company for 28 years and She paraded my sister and I around to all of her co workers, so proud of us and our fancy masters degrees. She was giddy and all smiles, dare I say I've never seen her so happy. I watched her interact with people she has known as long she has known me, listened to speeches about her. I heard her crack jokes in her broken English and I realised my mother is actually quite charming! I saw a woman so unlike the mother I've always known and I'm sad I didn't meet this side of her sooner. As we left the building, for her last time, she was all smiles and said "now what?"... Oh that's the million dollar question isn't it mama Lin? I'd say some dumplings are in order to celebrate !