Angels in Disguise
Mothers
Today, somewhere I came upon an article on reasons your mother is the strongest woman you’ll ever know. I didn’t open the article but it got me thinking. I started to think of all the reasons I thought my mother is the strongest woman I know. By the end of the list, I realized that my mother is not just the strongest woman, but the strongest person I have ever known.
I have seen my mother raise us single-handedly. My father had been transferred to a different city. This other city did not have very good schools. So, for our education, my mom stayed back. She took care of me, my brother, our grandparents and our house single handedly.
She cleaned the house, she cooked the food, she helped our grandparents, she taught me and my brother, she went to the power houses, telephone exchanges to pay the bills, she stood in lines to pay insurance premiums, she went to the banks to handle the banking.
She has had such an active life.
Sometimes I wonder how is she managing now, when my father is back and has taken up all the bill paying and banking responsibilities, now, when my brother lives in a different city and I am married and living in my house.
Wouldn’t she be getting bored? Wouldn’t she be getting lonely?
And yet she always happily advises me to give my home the first priority. She graciously tells me that she knows I am busy and it’s ok if I am not able to call or meet her. She understands, more than she should.
She made us her priority in the prime of her life but, is graciously giving up the right to become a priority in our prime of life. She is the most selfless person I know. Her love for me, my brother and my father is unconditional.
She gave up the prime years of her life with our father, to make our lives more fulfilling.
She has always been ready to sacrifice all that she has, for us.
She understands me more than anyone will ever understand me. In fact she understands me more than I understand myself.
She gracefully accepts the changes of life, the changes of priorities.
In spite of making her life all about us, when the time comes, she happily shares us with our partners.
Whenever I get tired, she gives me strength.
Whenever I am close to giving up, she makes me reconsider and urges me to go on.
She teaches me how to love unconditionally, how to give without expectations, how to own up responsibilities, how to sacrifice when required, how to be strong, how to be selfless.
She teaches me all this and much more, not by words but leading by example.
She is my biggest asset and yet never my weakness, for all I get from her is strength, compassion and understanding.
Her face lights up when she meets me and I can see the hidden tears when I leave, but never does she once show the tears, never does she once asks me to stay. She just relentlessly understands. She understands without expectations.
So this Mother’s day, though words are never enough, I would like to thank you Mon, for your unconditional love, for all your sacrifices, for teaching me the values of life, for tolerating me in my teenage years, for showing me the right path when I was going towards the wrong one and yet giving me the freedom to live life my way, for supporting me each time I wanted to study more, read more, write more, for making me capable enough to support myself, for letting me chose my path once I was independent, for coping up with the new age and technology to understand me, for making me who I am today and for being proud of me.
I know your love will never die for me and nor will mine for you!
Happy Mother’s Day!
