Ever found yourself in a situation where something that was mentioned and seemed insignificant at the time, becomes significant later on?
I once had the privilege of having a conversation with my mother and the words she said, came ringing back in my mind later on, while I was on my errands. When we spoke, I was questioning her deeds as per the observations I had made. She never lacked an answer for each and every one of my questions. It was like they were all at her finger tips. Unfortunately, I never took everything she told me that seriously. I thought she was just doing what she is supposed to do as a mother. I thought it was her role and we as her family, had a right to that.
I remember one particular day when we were preparing dinner and I asked her why she always defended us even when we were in the wrong. I asked her why she took blame for our mistakes and why she never tired of fighting for us even if it meant discomfort on her side. She told me, “Whenever my child hurts, I hurt and as long as I live, your battles will always be my battles.” She went on to tell me that once I have kids of my own, this will all make sense and that I will finally understand what it all means. That I will know why a child’s joy is a mother’s joy too and why a child’s sorrow is a mother’s sorrow too. She said I will understand that the feeling to care for, fight for, and defend one’s child no matter what, comes naturally and will always be there as long as one lives.
This never really occupied my mind that much until I heard a similar conversation on the radio. Mothers were being questioned about why they chose to stay in marriages even when the marriage was unbearable and their answers were that this was because of their children. I felt the urge to judge them. I wanted to shout out about how unfair they were to themselves and how unrealistic that sounded, but remembering mama’s words, I refrained. Everything made perfect sense and was perfectly placed. I understood what it was to genuinely love and want the best for someone. Natural, selfless, unconditional, name it…it all made perfect sense to me.
If you want to learn about sacrifice, watch out for what mothers do, to, and for, their children. If it’s pure and genuine love you are looking to understand, watch mothers. Watch out for the extremes they go to and if you want to understand the “I can do anything for you” statement, ask what mothers have done and if not, observe. I am certain we have seen and if not we have heard about the many sacrifices in the name of unconditional love. If none of the above, then it is time to watch and understand.
When it comes to their kids and their family, for mothers everything is unconditional, genuine sacrifice, selfless and real. Everything is very original with no questions at all. Whenever I think of real and genuine, I do wish to get more teaching from the Master lady but I appreciate the much I managed to learn.
Our society today is characterized by get rich quick sort of practices. It is like a theatre where the make it real and fast rule applies. People have mastered the art of making everything so real that we easily get swallowed up in not appreciating how short-lived this can be. You know, just like theatres, the effort to make it real comes at a price and we as humans, will do all it takes to win at that price. After winning, we become proud of ourselves and then it is off to pursue another prize. I wonder what will happen to the prize we won especially if it is a fellow human being. Does the quest for a new “thrill” begin? This is probably one explanation why most bonds die.
We might not have warning signs or labels to tell the difference but once we get in touch with real i.e a mother’s love, then we might be able to tell the difference. Sometimes the answer does not pop up immediately, instead it is through very careful steps, a keen eye, open mind, the will to understand and most importantly, patience. After all, a mother’s love is patient. And don’t good and valuable things come to those who are patient? To read more posts by Gertrude, click HERE
