Mother's hopes

Today I bought a bunch of kailan. While washing the vege and discarding the old leaves, I recalled one of my Mother's habits. Whenever, she picked kailan or choysum or spinach or any other vegetable, she would only retain the very young leaves. When I pointed out that she was wasteful she used to tell me, "those are not nice, how to eat!". I did not quite agree with her because some of the leaves she threw away were acceptable to me. In a way, this habit shows the kind of high standard she set for herself, which also reflected the kind of pressure she used to put on herself to want the best for her family. She also in a way set high hopes and expectations for her children and in the process placed too much pressure on herself.

Youth fades, love droops, the leaves of friendship fall, A mother's secret hope outlives them all. -Oliver Wendell Holmes