Mother’s Day 2016

Giving mothers a place in our hearts

Recently I went to visit an elderly man in old folks home. As I reached the gates of the home an elderly woman in her mid-seventies came rushing to me and asked, “Have you seen my son? He left me here a   promising to come back after a few days but he has not come for the last few weeks. I am very worried for him”. The old woman looked visibly upset and was crying that something bad has happened to her only son.

The elderly woman was staying in a low-cost flat with her son, his wife and three children. As the children were growing up there was limited space for all in the small flat. Her daughter in law used to have frequent arguments with the husband over that and wanted the older woman to move out elsewhere. The son finally decided to send her to the old folk’s home but he could not financially support her in the home. One day he took her to home and left her there saying he need to renovate the house and would come back in a few days to take her back. Days and weeks passed but he did not go back as he had no money to pay the home management

So the old mother stood by the gate of the old folk’s home waiting for his son, rushing forward to inquire about his whereabouts from whoever new who comes there. It was a pitiful state watching the desperate old woman yearning for her son.Fortunately after a few months I was told that her daughter from a other state came and took her home. 

This old woman is not an exceptional case as there are many other such elderly mothers in the various old folk’s homes yearning for their children.They have been sent there for various reasons. Days, weeks, months and at times even years pass by but there is no sight of their children. Some of them even die while in waiting.

This Mother’s day may be the time to reflect on our own attitude towards our own mothers. They did not abandon us because they were too poor to support us. They did not send us to orphanages because they did not have enough food or there was no shelter to share with us. In fact our mothers gave up the little they had for our good.

Mother’s day is not just about feasts, gifts or elaborate celebrations but more about giving our mothers a place in our hearts where she will feel safe, secure and loved. It is a day to remind and reassure our mothers by not just saying, “mom I love you”, but show her that we really mean that.

There are some things in life we cannot afford to procrastinate and showing love to our mother is one such thing, a little delay may be too late to regret.

Happy Mother’s day