35 years ago, my mother was gifted a sewing machine by my aunt 3 months after her arrival to America. She came to America with her younger brother to keep him out of trouble back in Malaysia. The sewing machine was the start new life my mother did not know of. My aunt was the sole purpose of my mother staying in America because she knew what was best for her and going back to Malaysia would defeat her whole purpose of coming here with her younger brother. She stayed and worked with the guidance of my late aunt who had mapped out a career path for her in the fashion industry. Growing up, I never quite understood why my mother would spend hours on that machine despite having a well paying job. She would tell me it is not the work that she does on the machine but what the machine means to her and how to has shaped her as a person. She taught me that hard work does pay off but don’t forget about the past either. 35 years later, that sewing machine is still here and she spends time using it as a constant reminder of all the memories that has come with it after all those years. -Peter M

– Peter Mui

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