Mama,
When you chose to bring me into the world, you shifted your life to accommodate me, my needs and whims, my best interests. Sacrifice is a trite word to describe this change; I have come to understand it as a seismic shift that reoriented your entire direction. You carried me inside you for nine months, changing your habits and activities to suit a germinating unknown, and as Nikhil and I grew up, you made space for our infinite demands; in many ways, putting aside Margaretta Wan Ling Lin to become Mom, Mommy, Mama, Moomer.
You raised us with love, and taught us to orient ourselves toward justice. From you, we learned the importance of standing up for vulnerable people everywhere. We inherited our voices from you, and we carry them with the confidence provided by the privileges you’ve created for us. As I grow, I find myself drawn to the same path of compassion and pragmatism that you fought to build for yourself.
I am so proud to come from a woman who is driven, creative, silly, and loving—I am so grateful to come from a legacy of constantly working to improve and become better, a legacy that privileges love over hate and compassion over anger. You are my model in all my spheres.
Happy Mother’s Day — I love you with my whole heart.
Your daughter,
Ananya Li Bhatia-Lin
ANANYA LI BHATIA-LIN was born in Oakland and raised in the East Bay by parents who pulled from Indian-Taiwanese-Buddhist-Hindu practices to raise her and her brother with holidays and rituals that are uniquely that of her mixed family. Currently, she is a medical student at UCLA where she works on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion within medical education. She is proud to be her mother’s daughter.