An Open Love Letter to my Immigrant Mother

The woman who taught me the love that lies behind a “Yes” and “No”.

Photo by Albert Renn on Unsplash

Dear Mom,

One of my favorite stories you’ve ever told me is the story of how you learned English. You just immigrated to Hawaii, and it was your first day in grade school. The only words in English you knew were “Yes” and “No”. The teacher was taking roll, and asked you — the new student —…