Perseverance

After the company that my father worked for in Tokyo went bankrupt, we moved back home to Manila. My parents had to start over. Because it was hard to find jobs, they decided to start a small business. My mother is a good cook, so they opened a restaurant. My mother was in charge of cooking. My father was in charge of operations. They woke up at dawn every day. Because they didn't have a freezer to store large quantities of food, they went to the market every day to buy what they were going to serve that day. By the time they got home, it dinnertime. The next day, they did it all over again. Amidst of the chaos of running a restaurant, they still found a way to get to know their loyal customers, who affectionately called them "Mommy" and "Daddy". When they had to shut down the restaurant due to financial reasons, my mother once again used her skills to earn some money. She baked cookies and made quilted bags and pencil cases that were sold for a small profit.

Then, one day we received a letter from the US Department of Immigration. An application that my mother submitted many years ago was finally approved! It was time to start over. Again. When we migrated to the US, my mother worked for years as a sales associate. After she got laid off, she studied medical office management, and became an office manager at two elderly facilities. My father worked swing and graveyard shift as a security officer. We hardly had anything when we arrived. Over the years, we moved from studio apartment, to one bedroom, to a slightly nicer one bedroom, then a two bedroom, and finally, a single family home. 

They were in their forties when we lived in Tokyo and Manila. They were in their fifties when we moved to the US. Despite their age, they had no hesitation about starting over, accepting the reality that life is hard. 

Perseverance. It's the dedication to do something, despite difficulty. It's being hardworking, diligent, and patient, despite obstacles. It's being focused on the desired outcome, and taking steps to achieve that outcome. This is a value I learned from them. When there are challenges in life, this value motivates me to get out of bed every day and put one foot in front of the other.

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