Salute to a Mother's Love

Living in China the devastation of the May 12 earthquake hits much closer to the heart. Coverage of the rescue and recovery are on the TV non-stop, so we are constantly hearing stories that the rest of the world may not. I thought I would share this touching story of a Mother's Love. The story speaks for itself, so I'm not going to add anything else for today. I hope you are inspired, touched, and moved.

A Mother's Love

When rescuers found her, she was already dead, crushed by the collapsed house. Through gaps in the rubble, they could see her posture. Kneeling on both knees, her entire body was bent forward, held up by her two hands pressed against the ground, as if performing a ceremonial bow in an ancient ritual. Except her body had been compressed out of shape and looked somewhat eerie. A rescuer extended his hand through a gap and confirmed her death. He called out to her and tapped on the bricks with his shaft, but received no response. As the team walked toward the next building, the squad leader suddenly turned back, yelling as he ran, "Come quick!" He came to her remains and labored to maneuver his hand under her body, searching. He called out following some rummaging, "There's someone, a child, still alive." With some effort, rescuers carefully removed the debris burying her and found her child lying beneath her, bundled in a little red blanket decorated with yellow flower prints. He was about 3 to 4 months old. Shielded by his mother's body, he was totally unharmed, sleeping peacefully as he was brought out. His soundly asleep face warmed the hearts of all rescuers on the scene. As the rescue team's doctor unbundled the blanket to examine the baby, he discovered a mobile phone tucked into the blanket. He subconsciously looked at the display and found there was a SMS message. It read: "My dear baby, if you were to stay alive, you must remember that I love you." No stranger to the pain and sorrow brought by death, the doctor nonetheless wept at this moment. The cell phone was passed around and every person who read the message wept.