My daughter married a Ko:rean man when she was 21. She hasn’t come home in maddon twelve years, but every year she… – Page 2

She was only twenty-one.

Young.

Hopeful.

Excited about the future.

I hugged her tightly at the airport, believing we’d see each other again within a year or two.

Life, however, had other plans.

Twelve years have passed since that farewell.

She hasn’t returned home once.

Yet every single year, she reminds me that distance is not the same as absence.

A Difficult Goodbye

At first, I struggled with her decision.

Our family had always lived close together.

Sunday dinners were a tradition.

Birthdays were celebrated around the same table.

The thought of my only daughter living thousands of miles away felt impossible to accept.

But when I met her husband, I saw how deeply they cared for one another.

He treated her with kindness and respect.

That was all any parent could truly hope for.

The first years abroad were busy.

They learned a new language together.

Started careers.

Bought a home.

Eventually welcomed two beautiful children into the world.

Traveling back became increasingly difficult.

Work schedules.

School calendars.

Financial responsibilities.

Each year, they promised,

“Next year, Mom.”

I understood.

Even though I missed her terribly.