Summer has Come and Gone

Millennium Park

“One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” 
                                                                                                     ― Henry David Thoreau

Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective at Art Institute of Chicago

Summer reading program : You Are What You Read in Lincoln-Belmont library

  

Water spray at Fellger Park in Roscoe village

Gold Coast Beach near by Lincoln Park Zoo

Summer has Come and Gone   

      

By Sun Hee Yoon 

What do we do in summer? 

We go to the park, to the museum, to the beach and to the library. 

We spend our days under the sun, under the shade, in the water, and by the water. 

We love to walk, run, swim and relax. 

What did I do in summer 2012? 

I made memories of life with my mom and my family.

How I missed her! Words can't describe how I feel. 

Sometimes I don't know why I feel that way.

Changes for better, changes are good. 

I can drive now, I can drive highway 90/94. 

What do I remember of this summer?

I remember the heat and humidity of the first week of July.

I remember the burning sand and cooling lake breeze on Montrose Beach.

I remember the taste of juicy watermelon out of the refrigerator.

I remember the sound of cicada's singing on a dark green summer tree. 

I remember the laziness creeping over my head, and left me shame and guilt.

I remember my mom.. her gentle grip over my hand, her voices in the house, her laugh with my little girl.

Summer has come and gone.

My mom has come and gone.

My life in Chicago still goes on.

My life must keep moving forward. 

My mom at Art Institute of Chicago

Odyssey Cruise dinner with my mom

Photo Memories on Mother's Day

She was born in Montreal, Canada

I became a mom on a hot summer day in July, 2007. Since then my identity has shifted from "me-myself" world to "me-the last". I was an alien who just landed in a new planet, and I needed to learn to be a mom from level zero.

Raised in South Korea, my mentality still lies on Confucian doctrine, even motherhood and parenting. Its emphasis is on full sacrifice for her own children without asking in return. I've seen my both grandmothers and my mom and hundreds and thousands of moms who sacrificed their youth, health, and her being. It seemed to me once you become a mom, you need to transfer into a new person, like a rebirth.

Her being 1-year-old at Lake Michigan

It's only my 5th Mother's day. Although I faced quite a big bump during my motherhood, whenever I see my daughter's happy faces, this journey is definitely worth taking. To quote my daughter, "are you happy, Mom? I like when you smile. I will make you happy." Indeed, I'm the happiest mom in the world.