5/7 9:29a.m., a janitor politely sweeps under my feet trying not to disturb my “studies”; I smile politely and give him room.  For a second, I thought of my own father who came to this country with nothing but the skills to clean and the desire to learn.  I replayed the story of his first job as a custodian sweeping the lunch room floor of MATC and how he in his broken English would say, “Esqueeze me”, and sweep the excess food off the ground.  As a child, I laughed hysterically whenever he said this, but as an adult, I finally understand its meaning.

Thirty years later, he still works at MATC, not as a custodian though, but as a counselor who sits behind a desk and asks, “How may I help you?”  I will never have to sweep the floors of a lunchroom or scrub the toilets of public restrooms.  My father’s hard work has led me to where I am today; sitting here in a University, thankful for my blessed life, thankful for his hard work. The only thing that I can do is be humble. 

Because of our parents hard work, we do not have to experience the struggles they did growing up.  To them, the world is a scary and difficult place; to us, it is fun and exciting.  It is not because of our care-free nature that we think this way, but because our parents have created this utopia for us.  They have shielded us from all the evils in the world and have protected us every step along the way.  The least we can do for them is be thankful and show humbleness.