Dear contest chair, fellow Toastmasters, and honored guests,

Have you ever had a close relationship?

Do you still have it?

Two score and fifteen years ago, after ten months of a close relationship, I broke with my dear mom and entered this crazy world.

The world is so crazy that I had to go to school and do homework. I wasn’t afraid of the teachers; they were all kind and let me go home anyway. But there was one person I was very afraid of. You know who she was—my dear mom.

One sunny afternoon I had my happy hours after school playing cards with classmates and got home late. My mom was right there waiting for me.

“Why are you so late?” I could hear the anger in her voice.

“I was playing,” I mumbled.

“Playing? Show me your homework!” Her volume rose even higher.

I slowly opened my bag.

“Give it to me.” She snatched the bag from me and dumped everything onto the floor. She picked out the empty notebook and looked at me.

“Where is your homework?”

I stood there silently, knowing what was coming—a painful close relationship.

Yet, not all close relationship with my mother were fraught with tension. Some were sweet, like honey on the tongue after a bitter pill.

Once, my mom took my younger brother and me to town. My brother sat at the front of the bicycle, mom pedaled in the middle, and my father placed me at the end. We were all happy in town.

When it was time to come back, there was a problem: my brother sat at the front, mom was in the middle, but I couldn’t get on the moving bicycle. If mom stopped to put me on, she couldn’t start pedaling again.

After several attempts, mom looked at me and said, “I’ll take your brother, and you walk home.” I could clearly see the tears in her eyes. At that moment, I felt the close relationship between mom and me. I nodded, and mom rode away.

I walked and walked. The road seemed endless, and the fading light was my only companion. Take a deep breath if you know the feeling of hopelessness.

Time passed by. Suddenly, in the twilight, I saw a familiar figure coming towards me. It was my mother, her face etched with determination and love. She had returned for me, ensuring our bond remained unbroken. In that moment, the taste of my mother’s love was sweeter than any confection.

You see, a close relationship is an integral part of my life with my mom. Sometimes it’s painful, and sometimes it’s tasty. It’s like flying a kite in the sky, with the relationship being the string. Sometimes you release it and feel free, and sometimes you hold it tightly. The older I get, the stronger I feel about this close relationship with my mom. The further away I am from home, the closer I want this relationship to be.

Now, two years have passed since I last embraced my mother. When I call home, her voice, once so clear and commanding, now trembles with age. “My son, I’m good, don’t worry,” she says, and before I can utter another word, the line goes dead, leaving a silence that echoes with the distance between us. I know that she can hardly hear anything.

I feel that I’m gradually losing that close relationship. I feel sorry that I’m losing it.

Dear friends, when life throws challenges our way, we lean on close relationships for emotional support, advice, and comfort. They help us navigate through the rough waters of life, offering solace during stormy times, and joy in moments of triumph.

However, like any other aspect of life, close relationships are not always comfortable, and they can be easy to lose, too.

Dear friends, when was the last time you picked up the phone to tighten the strings that bind you to your loved ones? Many of us have been working and living far away from our homes. While distance is no longer a barrier to a close relationship, I urge you, don’t wait. Reach out. Reconnect. Strengthen the ties that form the tapestry of your life.

After all, it is these relationships that hold us aloft, that give our lives meaning and purpose. Let us cherish them, nurture them, and never let them perish from the earth.

Thank you.