I feel sorry for my mother's thin shoulders.

Time helps children grow up, but it takes away a mother's youth! Sometimes, I secretly notice how much my mother has aged with each passing year, with wrinkles on her forehead and streaks of gray in her hair. And her shoulders are slightly hunched over from the hardships of making a living to provide for her children.

When I was three, an age when I was already observant and able to remember interesting things in my subconscious, my mother would take me to the market to sell her wares. Her shoulders were laden with heavy bundles of reeds to sell to the households that specialized in making mats. The bundles of reeds looked light, but when several dozen bundles were gathered together, they weighed a considerable amount, despite the slender shoulders of a woman who only weighed a little over 45 kilograms.

Our house was about 5km from the market. My mother hurried off carrying her load from dawn till dusk. I trailed behind, seeing her shoulders and back drenched in sweat, her clothes completely soaked. A shoulder burdened with worries amidst the hurried pace of life.

When I started first grade, due to the increased need for school supplies, my mother had to take on extra work selling fish sauce. She bought the fish sauce from regular suppliers, bottled it into small containers, and sold it to her close business partners. The work became less strenuous when she "repurposed" an old bicycle from my grandparents' house to transport the fish sauce for sale. She used a thick wooden plank across the bicycle seat. On either side, she attached baskets to hold about 10 bottles of the pre-bottled fish sauce. She would then have me sit on the back seat and ride the bicycle with her to sell the fish sauce.

At that moment, I saw it clearly: the sweat was still dripping, soaking her shirt. Her shoulder, which was already crooked, was now noticeably slanted to the right. I sat there, staring intently, wondering if I was seeing things. But it was true! My mother's shoulder was slanted under the burden of the family, yet she never complained.

After all these years of hard work, my mother can finally rest and spend time with her children and grandchildren. Occasionally, I take the opportunity to gently massage her shoulders to ease her aches and pains. Sometimes, just walking behind her or watching her from afar, my eyes well up and tears fall unconsciously.

I owe my mother not only a thank you, but also an apology. For enduring all the hardships and suffering of life so that we could be where we are today. Mother, you carried the burden of life on your shoulders. You carried the future of your children with your selfless sacrifice and boundless maternal love. I beg your forgiveness, Mother, for your weary shoulders!

Duc Bao

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/van-hoa/chao-nhe-yeu-thuong/202510/thuong-doi-vai-gay-cua-me-70d26c0/