Looking Back on Life, it was Full of Genuine Beauty
Book Review : <Looking Back on Life, it was Full of Genuine Beauty>
Googling provides answers to most of the questions we have about motherhood, but there is one thing we can’t find online – wisdom. True wisdom from experience and age is not available on even the almighty ‘Mom Blogs,’ which are online communities moms share a vast range of tips and news about parenting. On this note, the Instagram account of a 78-year-old elderly Korean couple sharing drawings and words for their grandchildren sure does deserve worldwide attention.
Chan Jae Lee and Kyung Ja Ahn got married when they were both 26 years old, and have been together ever since. In 1981, they immigrated to San Paulo, Brazil, with their son and daughter. When the elderly couple’s two grandchildren moved back to Korea in 2015, the couple started posting on Instagram, with the hopes to share their love and longing. Mr. Lee draws, and Mrs. Lee writes for the posts on their Instagram account @drawings_for_my_grandchildren, which now has 387K followers. 
The life story of this couple has been published as a novel in Korea, and is loved by many, especially moms. With the theme ‘letter and drawings for all adults and children,’ the couple’s novel is composed of four chapters – spring, summer, fall and winter. These chapters withhold heartwarming memories of the Lee family. The drawings and words console us with unchangeable wisdom. Although we struggle to live each day full of insecurity and anxiety, perhaps, life is beautiful after all.
“The stars of Galapagos Islands teach us about life. I used to think life is a repeated cycle of pain, exhaustion and agony. However, looking back on the days I’ve lived, I realized that it was full of genuine beauty. It was the stars that gave me this lesson.” - 「The stars taught me」
“There are good days in life, and there are days that are not. I’m still learning how to make the best of the good days and how to survive through the bad days. That’s what this novel is all about.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-38153553
https://www.instagram.com/drawings_for_my_grandchildren/