THE CHOICE – A MOTHER’S DAY TRIBUTE

The thing about courage is it’s something we have to learn and re-learn our whole lives. It’s not just in you. It’s in every choice we make each and every day. I wonder how she must have felt leaving her hometown – the holy land of Rameswaram. The busy streets of Chennai must have seemed alien to her back then. She must have felt like a fish out of water.

Mom always said Dad wanted her to take up studies, have a career but she was firm in her decision. Her answer “My child needs someone to come home to“.  It was a choice – a tough choice. She could have easily traded me for a lucrative career. The maid would have been an easier option. But she didn’t. “I am gonna to be there for my kid when he needs me”.

I guess Dad took after Mom too. He would be home by 6 no matter how much work he had. We played scrabbles and cards together as a family. It was a daily ritual.

What would have happened if Mom had made a different choice? I would have missed the daily walk to school. Nobody to hear my stories after I reach home from school. No lullaby’s when my eyes felt tired. No family gatherings or outings.

She gave me my first lesson on how to embrace motherhood. No day care centre or maid can ever replace the warmth of the mother’s touch. Giving up something to nurture your kid’s dream is a blessing not a burden. I learnt all this from one of the greatest inspirations in my life. Some might consider her old school but she’s still the best.

We have never been on the same wavelength ever since I hit my teens till date. Maybe it’s the hormones working overtime. It’s a daily tom and jerry show at home but we love it. Even today when I wished her HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY She say’s ” Do we really have to do this it’s too senti” Oh God there she goes again.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the amazing mothers out there. We are nothing without you.