My Mother was an incredible person, my angel. Generous, loving, cheerful and always ready to encourage anyone. had her around in my life for 47 years. She always gave great advice with her wonderful sense of logic and humor. She loved to write me letters with quotes and would leave them in the funniest places - the book I was reading, a tin of snacks, my coffee cup, the refrigerator, taped to my perfume bottle.
Her own wise words have always stayed with me. In one of her letters, I remember how she said,
"Keep a diary, Vidya. Diary writing is far more than a way of exorcising one's unhappiness. The effect is extraordinary. Distanced on paper, troubles shrink to their true size. You can regard them objectively and see how temporary they are"
How true! She is also responsible for my love for reading. She said,
"Books support us in our solitude and keep us from being a burden to ourselves"
Life was not easy for her as a single parent. In spite of what she went through, she always encouraged me to believe in myself. She inculcated in me the habit of celebrating the little things. Who else would rejoice in the victory of ants that got into our food in spite of us taking so much care to keep the containers in water?
I remember many days when she pretended not to be hungry so I could eat and be healthy. This taught me to always respect everything I received. If I know the difference between a "need" and a "want" today, it is because of her. How can I forget how she held three jobs just to scrape up enough to put me through school?
I remember one time we were rather broke. I was in the fifth standard and we were staying with relatives. Somehow, we could not celebrate my birthday as she wanted to. To cheer me up, she drew a cake with candles on it on the wall behind the house and sang to me as she hugged me close.
"When God made Moms, he gave me the best one!"I am proud that my post about her has been featured on SheKnows.com for Mother's Day. Here is an excerpt.
I recall arguing with my mom, Devi, about being selfless, more times than I care to remember. Now, almost every day, I see the truth in something she said when she was with us. I am grateful that I understand the joy of giving without expecting something in return. I have learned that reciprocation need not come from the recipient, because we live in a universe that usually does not betray our trust and faith.Here is an incident that stands out among many I had the privilege of experiencing as my mother's daughter. The year was 1973. I was in the sixth grade and away at a hostel in Mumbai, and my mother in a working women's hostel in Chennai. Life was a mess, but it was a defining year for both of us... continue reading the post here
Do read and tell me what you think! Thank you!
As I wish all you wonderful women out there a very Happy Mother's Day, here's a beautiful poem I'd like to share with you. My Mother's GardenMy Mother kept a garden,
a garden of the heart;
She planted all the good things
that gave my life its start.
She turned me to the sunshine
and encouraged me to dream...
fostering and nurturing
the seeds of self-esteem.
And when the winds and rains came,
she protected me enough...
but not too much - she knew I'd need
to stand up strong and tough.
Her constant good example
always taught me right from wrong...
markers for my pathway
to last my whole life long.
I am My Mother's Garden.
I am her legacy.
And I hope today she feels the love
reflected back from me.
And because my Mom loved flowers....here's a slideshow of beautiful flowers - photography by my dear friend Ravi A V Kumar
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Linking up with Claudya of Unknown Mami who hosts Sundays In My City - that's world travel from my keyboard.
