Recently, my elder sister visited my home along with her infant son. She looked tired and deprived of proper sleep as indicated by the dark circles beneath her eyes.

“He keeps me awake all night,” she said with a smile while pointing to my nephew. “He sleeps during the day and stays up all night.”

Over the days that she stayed with us, I saw her devote nearly all her time to her son. Even a small hiccup from him brought concern to her face.

Sacrifices like these on a mother’s part are there for all of us to see. After all, every mother takes care of her children just like my sister takes care of her baby. We might not be able to fully understand the worth of a mother, but we cannot deny that her sacrifices are borne out of her unconditional love for her children.

Sacrifices aside, a mother plays an important role in shaping not only the personality but also the life of a child. Without a mother, any child would miss out on many things in his/her life and personality. A friend of mine lost her mother at an early age. She recalls how her mother’s absence has affected her at various stages of her life.

“You need your mother at every stage of your life because only she can understand everything you are going through,” my friend remarks. “And needless to say, she is the one who cares the most about you. I have missed my mother every day, when I was sad or down, when I needed someone to confide in or give me a hug, lift my spirits or provide solutions to my problems. I also missed having a role model to shape my personality and to follow on her footsteps on the paths unknown to me. I feel there are shortcomings in my personality because of the absence of my mother,” she adds.

My friend fully values the role of a mother because she has lost her mother, but what about those who are fortunate to have their mothers in their lives? Do they really care for and value their mothers as much as a mother should be cared for? This is a question that demands an honest answer from each of us.

I once had a dream that my mother might die from cancer. It came at a time when she had just recovered from cancer after battling with it twice. But unknown to us, her cancer resurfaced. I was really shocked after seeing the dream so I discussed it in detail with my mother.

“Are you sure that you have fully recovered from cancer?” I had asked her.

“Yes the doctors conducted all the tests and there are no traces of cancer left,” she had replied, but sadly she was wrong. The angels had done their part in warning us, but we and the doctors still ended up making a mistake that cost us my mother’s life.

My mother, like any other mother, was precious and God had sent us the message through my dream to take proper care of her. Alas, sometimes, taking proper care of mothers is something that we all conveniently choose to forget or avoid!

So is this article all about the importance of mothers? Well, it is just an attempt to urge us to see the truth that we may miss in the mundane routine of life. It is just a matter of making the right choices in our life as regards to our mother.

Mother’s Day serves as a reminder of an important person who is always around us, but whom we may miss noticing until she disappears or needs our attention. It also is a time for making a renewed pledge, to give back the love we received from our mother. This love should be intended for a lifetime and not be limited to a single day.

A good starting point would be to find out what your mother wants from you. Talk to her, observe her and find out what she desires from us. A simple hug and declaration of our love to her would also go a long way in making her happy.

All that we should feel and do for our mother should never be preached. For me, it is more of a matter of feeling the love and sense of duty towards her. Once we do that with an open mind and heart, we are well on our way to somewhat repaying the love that we receive from her!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there!

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 11th, 2019