Perfect Love

Little ZeeZee brought home an invitation to “Mother’s Day Tea,” a celebration at his school on the Thursday prior to the great day. An adorable, lovable bundle of joy who at all times wears a smile on his face, he has just turned three. He is just too young to understand the significance of the day conceptually, and the event in school was perhaps like any other fun birthday party he had enjoyed in the past. However for him, be it Mother’s Day or not, the tender love for his mommy streams perennially from the core of his heart as he wraps himself up in her warm blanket of affection and as her world revolves around him. Like any other child of his age, he may not spell out the words, but with all his innocence and simplicity, he trusts her totally to guard him against the big, bad wolf, and to keep him snug when the night is cold.

On the heels of spring fete and preceding the summer showers arrives this special day to honor mothers. What can be the best present for Mom? How can the day be made extraordinary for her? These questions arise as plans are made to make those hours joyous and fun-filled. Television commercials and magazine flyers are flooded with promotions of attractive gifts for Mother’s Day. Lovely bouquets adorn the flower section in stores. Restaurants are crowded, and in most places, you either need to make a reservation ahead of time or wait in a line to get a place as families treat mothers to a nice lunch or dinner.

Almost ten thousand miles away from home, in the last two and a half decades, it was just once when my visit coincided with Mother’s Day. Honestly speaking, I do not remember what I had gifted my mom. I feel our love for each other far transcends all materialistic endowments. And that has always made me strongly believe that every day is a Mother’s Day for me. It is true that the flowers, the chocolates, and the presents make the day a little different from the mundane and are tokens of appreciation. But nevertheless, even minus the adornments, a mother never ceases to love her child any less.

As clichéd as it might sound, it is true that words cannot define the relationship between a mother and a child. The bonding that starts right inside the womb is pure and is unscathed by the ravages of time and circumstances. The parameters of this relationship extend beyond infinity and at the cornerstone lies the edifice of undiluted, unconditional love. “God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers,” goes the saying. With age and experience, my belief in this thought has strengthened even more. A mother to me is the most beautiful entity on earth, and I pride myself to be one.

Today as Mother’s Day is celebrated and I’m ensconced in the circle of my mother’s undying love, I reflect on the words of Washington Irving:

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”

Here’s to wishing my mom and all other mothers a very happy Mother’s Day!