Perhaps the greatest gift of a figure like Maria Nagai is that she saw your mother. She saw your mother as a woman, not just a parent. When children are young, they don't see their mother’s exhaustion or sacrifice. But Maria Nagai did. She validated your mother. She told her, "You are doing a great job." By loving your mother, Maria Nagai taught you the highest form of respect for the woman who raised you.
I looked at my mother, who was washing dishes, her back to us. I saw the faintest tremor in her shoulders. She was laughing, silently, at the memory. mother39s best friend maria nagai
