Am Ma's 100th Birthday Party Photo Holding Baby May Yue in Her Lap
My great-grandmother turned 100 years old in 1945. She died when she was good and ready, in 1950, at the age of 105.
Ah Ma was a feminist even in those years. When her husband, my great-grandfather, tried to sell their only son into slavery to support his drug habit, she left him. I’m convinced that her courage, single-mindedness and unconventional wisdom enabled her to live an unusually long and full life.
This is an imaginary interview with my great-grand-mother. Oh, how I long to have talked with her in person!
May: “Ah Ma, what are you drinking? It smells good!”
Ah Ma: “A little cup of the red rice wine I made. I like to take a sip before I go to bed. You are too young to drink this, but it makes me sleep well!”
May: “I thought the preacher taught us not to drink!”
Ah Ma: “ Shh! You don’t have to listen to the preacher one hundred percent. A little of this wine makes me feel better. Too bad you are so young; I would have let you have some.”
May: “Ah Ma, how can you stand on your feet when you have bound feet? You said you used to have to wash clothes and do all those chores.”
Ah Ma: “I have very strong knees and legs. I took a stool to kneel on, and I did all the chores that way. I had no other choice. I was from a well-to-do family and that is why I have bound feet. The servants and peasants do not bind their feet because they have to work. I had to work after I left your great-grandfather.”
May: “Ah Ma, I heard you found a grave site to be buried in when you die, and that the feng shui master found the site for you. Do you believe in feng shui.? I thought as Christians we are not supposed to believe in superstitions any more.”
Ah Ma: “Ah May, little one, I have known feng shui since I was a little girl—and yes, I became Christian when I left your great-grandfather. He wanted to sell your grandfather to feed his drug habit, that no-good so-and-so. Of course I had to find someplace for the family to live, and Dr. Watson and his wife took us in. That’s when I converted to Christianity. You never see me in a photo without the Bible in my hands. I do not see how feng shui has any conflict with being a Christian.
Am Ma's 100th Birthday Party Photo Holding Baby May Yue in Her Lap Click To Enlarge
May: “In your 100th birthday party photo you were not holding the Bible. You were holding me.”
Ah Ma: “Yar, I had forgotten! That is different! I could not hold you and hold the Bible. I had to choose you because you were the youngest in the family and I was the oldest. You are the special one!”
May: “Why do you hold a Bible when you cannot even read and write?”
Ah Ma: “You are wrong! I can read and write Romanization. Not many people know how, but a few of us learned to use the English alphabet to write Chinese sounds. I learned it from Mrs. Watson. It is a different kind of Chinese code. I bet you don’t know how to do that. Mrs. Watson has to be careful when she sends a letter to us because the government thinks she is a spy.”
May: “Wow, this is cool, Ah Ma!”
Ah Ma: “I have to tell you this: After I picked out my grave site, the feng shui master said, ‘The plot faces a brook. That brook flows with such a pretty sound. It is like a phoenix playing a flute. This plot will promote prosperity and success for your female line. Don’t you think you should find one that promotes the fortune of the male line?’”
Ah Ma: “You know what I said? I said, ‘No, this is good. I want my female line to prosper like the phoenix playing the flute. Let them make the music and be happy! What is wrong with favoring the female line?’ Ah May, you are the phoenix, little one!”
It’s amazing how one woman’s decision changed the future of her entire family. She had no idea that her courageous action that day, running away from an abusive situation, would free her family forever.
I am proud to be her great-granddaughter. After all, with a role model like my Ah Ma, how I can I live a timid and fearful life? No way! I am driven to find purpose and to make my life worthwhile because I know she is watching me and telling me to go for it!
That’s what I hope I am doing for you through this website, ezine, and life-enhancing products. I hope you enjoy my stories and that you will share your stories with me, as well!
I wish you a prosperous life that is filled with joy!
May
What a beautiful entry! The picture of your family is incredible, it gives me chills. Much more than a photograph, it is a way to understand the strength you draw through time, the gift of your feminine ancestor. Thank you for sharing this.
Hi Cass, I am glad you like the post. My great grand mother is a legend in our family. She is the one change the history of our family. We always hear her story even though most us do know her in person. Her strength sustain us.