17 min
Gajok, Ep. #109: May 9, 2024 Gajok • 가족
-
- Personal Journals
In honor of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, for the month of May, I will be fundraising for our artist salaries. If you have received support or comfort from this podcast, or any other art we've created, we invite you to become a Patreon Member today. As independent artists, we heavily rely on the support of our community — that's you. If you believe in us and the work that we're doing, invest in us so we can continue to create meaningful art for years to come. https://www.patreon.com/jieunandgreg
---
I had a big grief wave hit me after I recorded yesterday's podcast episode. I was surprised by it, but this is the nature of grief. Grief has no shape, it has no one road it travels on. It ebbs and flows, it bounces around, it slows down, and it ramps back up. Mother's Day coming up is surprisingly bringing up a lot of grief for me this week, because of the state of my relationship with my mom, but also because 아빠 isn't here to do the things he would do for my mom on Mother's Day. He would buy her a dozen red roses and a cake — he can't do that anymore. These special days will continue to bring waves of grief. Last Sunday was 어린이날 (Children's Day) and yesterday, Wednesday, was 어버이날 (Parents' Day). And May is a month where Koreans celebrate family. I never grew up celebrating these Korean holidays, but it made me think about how my parents celebrated 어린이날 and 어버이날 when they were kids, into adulthood, before immigrating to America. So much was lost in immigration. So much is lost in death. This week is extra grief-filled, and it makes complete sense.
In honor of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, for the month of May, I will be fundraising for our artist salaries. If you have received support or comfort from this podcast, or any other art we've created, we invite you to become a Patreon Member today. As independent artists, we heavily rely on the support of our community — that's you. If you believe in us and the work that we're doing, invest in us so we can continue to create meaningful art for years to come. https://www.patreon.com/jieunandgreg
---
I had a big grief wave hit me after I recorded yesterday's podcast episode. I was surprised by it, but this is the nature of grief. Grief has no shape, it has no one road it travels on. It ebbs and flows, it bounces around, it slows down, and it ramps back up. Mother's Day coming up is surprisingly bringing up a lot of grief for me this week, because of the state of my relationship with my mom, but also because 아빠 isn't here to do the things he would do for my mom on Mother's Day. He would buy her a dozen red roses and a cake — he can't do that anymore. These special days will continue to bring waves of grief. Last Sunday was 어린이날 (Children's Day) and yesterday, Wednesday, was 어버이날 (Parents' Day). And May is a month where Koreans celebrate family. I never grew up celebrating these Korean holidays, but it made me think about how my parents celebrated 어린이날 and 어버이날 when they were kids, into adulthood, before immigrating to America. So much was lost in immigration. So much is lost in death. This week is extra grief-filled, and it makes complete sense.
17 min