Mums deserve appreciation every day of the year

The sacrifices and unconditional love of a mother is often understated

I remember my mother who left us on October 28, 2010. It was during the final stages in her life that we, her children, came to know the difference she made in the lives of many other people. Her associates and friends came to the hospital to see her and pay their respects before she passed away. 
"My association with your mum started with the delivery of my first child," this aunt told us. 
"Your mother helped us a lot when my brother fractured his hand in an accident and was hospitalised," said another. 
"Your mum is like my mum," another friend told us. "Without her nursing care I would not have been alive now." 
With more than 30 years in a nursing career she had touched many lives outside the home and they remembered her service with so much love and affection.
She was selfless in many different ways. She had no time to share her daily experiences in the hospital with us nor did she want to be appreciated for the work that she did. She felt it was her duty as a nurse to be in the service of others. At home she would make sure that our needs were taken care of; we ate nutritious food, were nursed tenderly when we fell sick, and she supervised our schoolwork as well. She would come to meet our teachers at school to make sure that we did well academically. All the effort she put in was taken for granted by us kids. 
I realised my folly when I became a mother myself. I realised a mother is always a mother. Her love is truly unconditional. Even though words could be harsh, she silently tolerated our teenage tantrums. She wanted us to get good partners in life and was worried about our health. She did not mind sacrificing her sleep to babysit her grandchildren. Her life was one of total sacrifice where her needs got the least priority. Those were those days.
Bringing up two children myself was another aspect to motherhood. The joy of holding your firstborn in your arms, nursing the babies, watching them go through different stages of life, all this and more were fulfilling experiences. Inexperienced in every way, I learnt as I went along. In the early years, the child's world revolves around the mother. I remember my son telling me, "You're the most beautiful mum in the whole world." I can still feel the warmth of those hugs and the feelings those innocent words evoked in me at that time. They made me feel extra special and made all the effort of being a mother worth the while. My boys are now 28 and 23, both working in Dubai. The feeling of having done my duty as a mother is truly satisfying and my heart overflows with gratitude to the Almighty. I have a beautiful addition to the family, my readymade daughter, who adds laughter to our home and shows me what I missed not having a daughter. Now all of us are staying together at our "home sweet home". 
So those of you who are blessed with mothers, make sure you make them feel extra special not only on Mother's Day but every day of their lives. Happy Mother's Day to all mums reading this. 
- suchitra@khaleejtimes.com

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