Love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark.
– JK Rowling
It’s Mother’s Day today. Flowers are pretty and chocolates are sweet, but this year I’d like to offer something with a little more permanence. That’s the great thing about writing. It allows us to express our thoughts, feelings, and memories in a form that will last.
Today I’m talking about my mom.
***
A mother’s love is like no other. It can be wildfire, consuming all that stands in its path. It can be the warmth we seek when our days grow cold. It can be a stubborn faith that believes in us against all odds.
As children, our mothers are the centre of our existence. They feed us, bathe us, and smile (or growl) at the messes we make. They make us lunch and fold our laundry and sew up the holes in our blankets. They hold us when we cry over a cut finger or a skinned knee. They kiss us good night. Time passes, ages to us but only a scant few years to them.
As teenagers, we become aware of ourselves and our burgeoning adulthood. Now we crave – we demand! – our independence. Walls appear that were never there before as we distance ourselves from the children we were and the mothers who seem intent on treating us as such. The love which was so sweet before has grown stifling.
As young adults, we forge our own paths into the future. Our mothers are now just one part of the complicated tapestry of our lives. We think of them fondly when we have the time. Perhaps we fail to recognise how their hair has thinned and their hands have grown wrinkled. Until one day, something shocks us into awareness, and we discover anew the love that was there all along.
***
Anne Frank said that regret is stronger than gratitude. That’s human nature for you. We only appreciate what we have when we realise that it won't be around forever. Now is the time to be thankful for our loved ones. And to tell them too!
So to my grandmother, my aunties, my older cousins, and most importantly, my mom: thank you for all the goodness you've brought into my life. It means the world to me.
Today is the day to think about our mothers. Give them a hug, bake them a cake, do something special. Show your love in a way that’s meaningful to you and her. Maybe even put it in writing.
Today is the day to think about our mothers. Give them a hug, bake them a cake, do something special. Show your love in a way that’s meaningful to you and her. Maybe even put it in writing.
Love you, mom.
Happy Mother’s Day, everyone.
