Talking or writing about my mother’s always gives me the shivers — the good kind of shivers.
I’d often wonder how a human being can give so much of herself to someone else, and she never seems to run out of love to give. How can someone love so fiercely, as though her children were all that existed in her life? A mother is usually the first experience a child has with unconditional love. If I ever understood the true meaning of love, it’s all because of my mother.
We won’t really appreciate or understand our parent’s love for us as kids. We were born and they were there, so what’s so special about that? Oh, only if we knew.
When I was 8 or 9, I was too busy being embarrassed that my mom held my hand while walking me to the school door and insisted I use a “little girl’s lunchbox.” I didn’t know she held me because she wanted to keep me safe, or that she bought the lunchbox because it had several compartments and she could fit in countless snacks for her special child with the gigantic appetite. I just felt what I felt, and that was all I knew.
Even when she worked two jobs to provide the best for us, she would still come into our room at night to read to her girls. Whenever she couldn’t make it upstairs before I drifted off, I would sulk throughout the next day because Mama hadn’t come to read to me. It never occurred to me that she was working overtime because the tuition needed to be paid soon.
As I got older, I finally began to comprehend the dynamics of my mother’s life. She was all about her children, and I’m not sure I have any memories of her taking the time to do something for herself. She was like the proverbial pelican who would give its own life for its chicks to survive. She is love personified, and if today, I can give out love and care about other people, it’s because of her.
You mother is the purest form of love
From the moment she saw you, she fell deeply in love. If you’ve ever felt that no one has loved without any string attached, check again. Your mother was the first person to love you unconditionally, and for as long as she lives, she would never waver in her love for you.
You grew up watching her as she balanced the family on her shoulders, holding everything together, and keeping everyone on track. You always wondered how she could do so many things at once, be everywhere at the same time, and still manage to get it all done in due time. She went out of her way to shield you from seeing her struggles.
A mother and her child may have fallouts every now and then. You won’t see eye-to-eye on everything. Sometimes, careless words may be spoken and mindless actions may be taken in the heat of rage, but don’t you ever doubt for a second that your mother loves you beyond bounds. Her love for you will never flicker, no matter how crazy you drive her. You may make terrible mistakes in the course of your life or make decisions that may affect you and your family. You may feel as though you’ve let everyone down, but your mother will always stretch her arms wide open for you.
The only thing she wants is what’s best for you. She would never intentionally try to stop you from chasing your dreams. She just believes this might not be what’s best for her child. She wants you to be happy, fulfilled, and to have the best life. She wants to see your soar and thrive beyond the greatest limits and she would give anything to ease up the process for you.
If there was a meter to gauge a mother’s love, the device would never serve because it would explode with overloads.
She was your first experience with an empath
Why did you think your mother was sad or even crying whenever you were ill? I remember when I was five and got a big cut on my arm. I had to get it stitched up to prevent an infection. The process was painful, but I wasn’t crying. However, my mother cried so much that they had to escort her out of the hospital ward.
The simple fact is that your mom feels your happiness as much as she feels your pain. A mother somehow knows when things aren’t quite right with her child, even without you showing any outward signs. She feels it, she knows what you feel, she connects with you on a deeper level than you could ever imagine, and if she could, she would take up all the pain that would ever come to you.
That’s how much she loves you, and even when she is no longer with you, her love you never shakes. That’s what it means to be a mom.
Dear Mom, words will always fail me when it comes to you but thank you for being my stronghold.
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