Mother

Today is Mom’s birthday and this blog is dedicated to her memory. It is been a year since you left us a few days after celebrating your 92! 

Mother is such a special word and exploited by so much sentimental writing, so I write this in simple words and as a mother myself.

Motherhood is one role, albeit an important one in the life of a woman.  A mother is also the young girl with dreams; a young woman with aspirations; a woman with the responsibilities; a woman who may choose to raise a family with or without a career, a woman who is often a wife. Mother is a woman’s nurturing side, a role that often reshapes her view of life around her and may cause her to push aside her aspirations to meet the needs of those who depend on her – children, husband, parents and the community. Sometimes she is pushed into a role not of her own choosing.

Mom, I know you best in your role as a mother and...........I remember your use of prayer to help ease your burdens of day-to-day trials and tribulations, many of which may have been caused by my own behavior........... I remember you never starting the preparation of a dish without a Wahe-Guru! Your unwavering faith is a source of strength for your family today..........I remember that day when we lived in Kanpur and I biked to school. I was tired and took a nap in the afternoon. I remember getting ready and looking for me to get my breakfast and lunch box, which you always had ready for us before school and I found you sitting and chatting with neighbors on the verandah. You did not laugh like the others as you realized at once I had confused dawn with dusk!

Today I am grateful for our morning walks two years ago among the flowers of the park, with the dew barely dry from the early morning rays........I remember your delight seeing the paragliders’ practicing their jumps and the billowing brightly colored ballooning fabric like large butterflies in the blue sky..........I remember your love of the view of the mountains and the brightly colored bougainvillea’s in many hues.........I remember your willingness to exercise your arms and legs even as you sat in your wheelchair, inspiring so many other people so much younger than you out for their morning walks.

I most certainly got my love of the outdoors from you.

I remember your other roles when listening to you sharing stories among your siblings, cousins and peers. When you shared your memories with your sister in law in my hearing two years ago, I learnt about the young woman with aspirations before becoming a mother. The light in both your eyes accompanied by the laughter is now a part of my memories of you.

Your love of the poets Shelley and Coleridge and Shakespeare always came through in the letters you wrote. Finding and reading the romance books you read before becoming a mother bespoke of the young girl with dreams!  

When I decided to leave home to go half way across the world to follow my own dreams, you never stopped me, just encouraged me. Today your granddaughters span the continents, following their dreams and aspirations giving credence to the saying “educate a woman and you educate the world”. Look at me now; here I am in Macedonia achieving a 45 year old aspiration from my childhood! Credit for this lies directly at your feet.