About Mothers

A slight “hiccup” caused the cancellation of the family’s plan to take Tammy out to celebrate Mother’s Day. The flu bug got to her first.

With time to spare, my mind drifted to the significance of having the annual mother’s day and, for that matter, also the one for fathers.

The cynics would say its all commercialism, to make florists, restaurants and hotels happy not the moms. If one really cares about one’s parents, they would add, one do not need a special day to express the fact. Many would agree with them, I am afraid.

I choose to look at it more positively. If the mothers and fathers feel happy about being honoured, pampered and being together with their children and grandchildren on this day reserved for them, what’s the harm?

In a way I am glad that the media, year after year, reminds us of Mother’s Day. Which translates into keeping us reminded that what we are today have their foundation in our respective mothers’ love, efforts and sometimes sacrifices.

And talking of sacrifices, I find it gratifying that, for their Mother’s Day story this year, the Sunday Mail salutes that special breed of mothers, the ones with disabled children and who are “determined that their angels should live as fulfilling a life as possible”, whatever it takes.

To quote one mother featured in the article, a MAS training executive by the name of shahrial Kalis Husni with a 20-year old autistic son –

Don’t feel sorry for me, I never see it as a sacrifice. It’s what any parent would do for their child. In fact, I feel sorry for mothers who throw away their babies, healthy or otherwise. They don’t get to watch their babies grow. They don’t get to cry tears of joy through those experiences.

They don’t get to hear what my Shahrial said one Hari Raya a few years ago, when I gave him his new baju Melayu. He raised his hands and in his special speech, cried out: “Alhamdulillah!”

I join in saluting these mothers, and to a colleague and friend, who is in the same position as this ladies, I say this, “keep your chin up” and draw inspiration from these special women.