Love Always Comes Full Circle

When my mother married my father, my aunt—his youngest sister—was around seventeen. Having lost her father at a young age, my mother treated her like her own sister, always looking after her and sharing whatever she had.

My mother gave birth to my eldest sister at a relatively late age, and soon after, my eldest brother was born. Since my mother had to manage the household and care for her mother-in-law, my aunt stepped in to help. She mashed rice porridge and fish eggs to feed my tiny, fragile sister, often carrying her on her back and taking care of her with great attention. When my eldest sister later moved away for work, both my parents—and especially my aunt—were deeply saddened.

Over the years, my aunt got married, and my eldest sister started her own family and moved to the city where my aunt lived. Meanwhile, my mother grew older and frailer. Despite her own aches and pains, my aunt visited my mother often, caring for her with tenderness—feeding her and attending to her every need. The love my mother had poured into my aunt decades ago was now returned in full. Their bond ran so deep that even when my mother forgot most of her children, she always remembered my youngest aunt.

My eldest sister, who was once lovingly cared for by our youngest aunt, returns that care—taking her to nice places for meals and enjoying occasional walks together.

During those difficult years of scarcity, I imagine my mother, in her early twenties, may have found a closer friend in her youngest sister-in-law than in her reserved husband, sharing warmth and care. My eldest sister, having received less of my mother’s attention with a younger sibling arriving soon after, likely grew up sharing laughter and joyful moments with our youngest aunt.

Over time, my mother and youngest aunt became close friends, and my eldest sister, too, formed a special bond with her aunt. Watching the three of them hold onto these tender memories, I realize that love does not stays in one place—it circulates, always finding its way to those who need it most.