“When I knew I couldn't suffer another moment of pain, and tears fell on my bloody bindings, my mother spoke softly into my ear, encouraging me to go one more hour, one more day, one more week, reminding me of the rewards I would have if I carried on a little longer. In this way, she taught me how to endure — not just the physical trials of footbinding and childbearing but the more torturous pain of the heart, mind, and soul.”
![“In my mother's time, [pain] was a secret burden, and women were admired for their ability to ignore, to be silent, to be selfless… Now we can speak it, and that's true healing, not a problem--to admit there is some constant pain.” quote by Terese Marie Mailhot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3ef/terese-marie-mailhot-281987_pain_in-my-mother-s-time-pain-was-a-secret-bu_1314864.jpg)
