HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

Michelle Mỹ Quỳnh Phạm

oOo

Houston Texas May 2005

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

NOVEMBER 17 2005

My Dear Christy Thúy Quỳnh,

Mother Day is always the most wonderful day because it is also my Birthday. I am not sure how to express the wonderful feeling. Sometimes, we neglect to say the words that is in our hearts. As always, this past Mother Day I was surrounded by my young adult children. I am so blessed to be your mother, what a precious gift you are to me. I was loved by my children and the feeling was so great that brought tears to my eyes. Tears of happiness!!!

Today, this beautiful Sunday morning, the last day in the month of summer feeling so peaceful and I thought of you, my darling Christy Thúy Quỳnh.
As I am sitting here, thinking of my “little girl” my lovely daughter with the eyes so round and so beautiful. It has been a long time since I have written anything to anyone, this is my first time though I am writing this letter to you. I don’t think I have told you that you made me happy every day of my life and you continue to do so. For now, knowing that you are my inspiration, love and devotion will always be foremost, and you have been constantly in my thoughts. I hope you are all well, and as happy as you can be. There are so many things that I wish to tell you, I don’t know where or how to begin.

First, I want you to know that I missed you terribly during the time you were on your vacation, in another part of the world with friends, visiting Paris, London, Venice and Rome. You mentioned once to me Việt Nam might be you next trip. I sure do hope so, my darling. You will then be able to visit your home town, Sài Gòn.

Talking about Việt Nam, bringing back so much memories and memories do bring tears and ache to my heart. Thirty years ago, I lived in Nha Trang, the city by the ocean. Cool breeze, fresh air and weeping willows. The city of beautiful beach, white sands and the ocean is deep blue. The name of the high school is simple “Nữ Trung Học” translation is high school for girls. There were only two high schools, Võ Tánh is for boys and Nữ Trung Học is for girls. I went to San Jose, California for the reunion last year in August. That was some experience!!! Seeing my childhood friends, Teachers…No word can describe the feeling of the first moment seeing my childhood friends from some thirty years ago. We all grew up; each one of us has a destiny…, a different living style, and different way of thinking, different situation. However, we don’t feel as strangers. We hugged, talked and acted as teenagers all over again.

I thought of you, my beloved daughter. I was watching you graduate from your High School in Orange Texas, Thúy Quỳnh. You were only 18 years old when you entered University of Texas at Austin. As I watched you, I saw the beautiful young lady you had become. I was so very proud of you. I have all my beautiful memories of you. As a mother, I used to get worried thinking of my girl living away from home.

In your childhood you were so wise that always amazed me, you grew independent intelligent and talent. I knew that you would do well for yourself in college but I also knew that regardless, successful or not, you would always have my love. I will be here for you, regardless of situations, problems or hardships…I love you so much, I tried to teach you right from wrong. But most of all, I tried to teach you that no matter what ever happened, you would always be my daughter, and I would always love you.

I wanted to teach you about all religions and let you choose for yourself what you want to believe. I wanted to teach you that there is power in knowledge, but that there is even more power in reaching out and loving other people, that life is about relationships and friends and giving everything you’ve got.

You made it thru college without any problems and moved on to Baylor college of Dentistry in Dallas. In June of 2001 on your graduation, I remembered looking up, my tiny lovely daughter standing there, the only Asian girl who graduated with honor standing by eight tall guys. Your father and I, we were speechless…We were so proud.

I remembered the day you were born, you were so tiny, and your eyes were so round and beautiful. I was so happy. You were breast fed and hated the bottle, eventhough I bought so many cute bottles for you. You got your father’s traits, his intelligence, and people said you got my eyes. You used to look like a doll in a glass case, so beautiful but yet so fragile and needed to be handled with care and love. Your Vietnamese name is the name of the flower, Quỳnh…the name sounds so elegant, the flower of Purity, or Phyllocactus, a flower which is blooming at night, and fading at the coming of the sunlight. The night when the flower opens is the night of great happiness and that is you, my sweetheart, you are my joy in life, you have made me so proud to be a mother.

In April of 75, the fall of Sài Gòn. Your father was in the Navy, he was then stationed at Cát Lái and was able to leave the country and took us to the United States of America. The communist targeted our small boat as we were leaving the dock, a shell exploded so close that the blast violently shook the boat, throwing me and you down to the deck. Any closer, then we may not be here today. You were only 17 months old, so small yet so cute. I’m glad that you were young, your innocent mind would not be imprinted with those terrified moments.

As we were in Columbia, South Carolina where your father was a freshman at The University of South Carolina. He was brave enough to go back to college at his age in 1976. You were only a baby, spoke Vietnamese only.
I used to teach you some of the Vietnamese folk songs, your voice was so very sweet when you sang. There was one song you loved the most:
“Oh! Grandma, I love you very much …whenever , wherever you go …you would bring me toys and gifts…” or there was a song about the moon and looking up the moon, I told you to picture, to imagine a tree, a man….and singing the folk song “..Oh beautiful moon, shinning upon us…oh little man sitting under the tree…why do you keep on living up there in the moon… come down and be my little friend ..….” You sang those folk songs in the beautiful baby voice…and I was overflowed with love and proud.

You have your father’s look and my personality. I used to read before bed time or meal time and you have done almost the same way. As a child, you loved to read more than playing with dolls. Your hand writing was also nice and clear. I love how you like to turn the papers in books. Some of our brightest times were playing in the park with you and your brothers, taking you to the shopping mall …. You learned to swim underwater at five years old and it was the only time you cried. I had fun being a child with you.

I loved the way you hugged me tightly before I put you down for naps, you loved to be tickled under your neck and around your ears, you did not like when I tried to eat your nose and you would look at me like “Mom, that is not cool”. I loved it when you scratched my face like a cat because you knew that it made me laugh, I loved it that you cried when I left and then brightened up like a sun-flooded room when I came back, I will always come back to you. I love you, Christy Quỳnh.

A lot we are alike….but yet you’re your own person. You‘re very simple and also love sports. Your free time is always for tennis, jogging, reading bicycling and walking. You love to dress simple yet elegant and I always am so proud looking at my daughter. An intelligent young lady, healthy, lovely, and you got class!!!

My dear daughter, our family is Buddhist but when we entered the US, lived in Columbia, South Carolina, a Presbyterian Church had sponsored us and we were introduced to the Church. We went to Church every Sunday morning and you learned the Bible at young age, you learned the word of God. My Dear Christy, to me believing in God or Buddha it doesn’t matter. All religions are leading people to do well, to be kind to be good human being. Just like your name, Christy….the name sounds so sweet, so kind and so soft. I do love it, my darling.

My Dear girl, so much I want to tell you, so much I want to write down expressing my feeling. But all I can say is that I am so very proud of you, happy for you. You made it well for you life. You were always there for your brothers. For that, I thank you for being my daughter. You have made me proud to be your Mother.

Thúy Quỳnh my love, I pray in my heart as always for you to have a happy life. I feel good knowing that you have done well for yourself and you will continue to do well. I was always happy that I had my daughter to hold and cherish, you were and still are the light of my life. I sometimes ask God why he gave me such a special gift, without you my life would have been a void, yet you held that responsibility that it was you who had to make me happy – and you never said a word. If only I had known! So I will tell you now what’s in my heart. I love you unconditionally you are the joy of my life. You always have been and you always will be. Never forget that. I love you, my dearest daughter.

My darling and my only daughter, live your life happily. I love you more than you can ever imagine and will always be with you in your heart and mine, I miss you so much. It seems like I had so little time with you before you left, back to your work and your Dental school in Indianapolis. You are self-confident, self-respect and wise, with all your efforts and talent you will reach at the top of your desire. Though we will have lots of fun times together over the next few years, I can’t wait to see you again.

I started out writing these loving thoughts intending to have it printed in my High School reunion magazine as an article dedicated to my daughter. But on second thought, this is something private, something special for you, so I saved it for your birthday. So here it is, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” to my “little girl” on her 32nd birthday from her loving mom.

My dear Christy, there are no words to described the love of the mother. You will find in your heart the love of your mother is always going to be with you, regardless of situation, I thank God for giving you to me, I thank you for being my daughter. Thanks for loving me, my darling, tears are falling down as I am writing this to you…..tears of happiness because I love you so… my sweet girl, Christy Thúy Quỳnh Vũ.

LOVE,

Your mother,

Michelle Mỹ Quỳnh Phạm