May 9th

What's so special about today? Well, maybe nothing. For many, it is back to the grind after a weekend with family, celebrating Mother's day.

Now that is special.

As a child to a young adult, I never gave much thought to Mother's day in the personal sense. Rather, I focused mainly on my mom and tried to find some commercial way of thanking her and telling her I love her. I'm not sure if that was ever enough. Of course, hindsight is 20-20 and I often find myself reflecting upon my experiences of the past and wondering if I've done the right things.

She gave me life. She and my dad gave me the stability and understanding of what love is. What family is. What happiness is. Now, I'm seeking to find a purpose within all of that and live my life to the fullest. So, in some ways, today marks yet another day that I live to fulfill my purpose.

For those of you who have been reading my banter, you may recall the significance of May 9th. It has forever become a day of mystery, a day of mourning, a day of inspiration, and a day of pride. May 9th is the potential day of my birth (not June 18th as I originally practiced), the potential first day of my separation from my once homeland, the documented day of my life as an orphan. Most importantly, it is the supposed day that a woman brought me to Ohsoonjul's babies home in Chuncheon.

So...

Was she my birth mother? Was she just some good Samaritan trying to give me another chance at life? I'll never know, but one thing is for certain...I am eternally grateful to her for making that decision, which could have been the most difficult decision of her life.

Don't cry for me Argentina. You will not find me celebrating with a pity party any time soon and while the idea of two birthdays sounds cool, I'll stick to the one I know, but it is NOT the only one that matters.

How many candles on the cake???