My mother gave birth to me at a really young age. At the age where everyone is just trying to find their place in the vast world; where every opportunity that knocks must be seized with both hands. And this is exactly what happened to my mother. A month after I was born, she was given a scholarship to study in the USA. Of course, the choice to leave me was not easy but she could not pass on such an opportunity to not only build a future for herself but also her newborn child.

So, a decision was made to leave me with my grandmother, God rest her soul. I am told my grandmother would pour milk down her breast as I suckled to mimic breastfeeding and this how I managed to grow up healthy, until I started eating solid foods. As time went by, my grandmother became ill and could no longer take care of me but even as she took me to my father’s home, she assured me that all will be well.

But what I remember vividly was the fact that even if my mother had just travelled to a foreign country and was just a student, she never missed a chance to send money to my grandmother for my upkeep. She made sure that we were well fed, healthy and tried as much as possible to communicate through letters and emails. I always felt her presence even if she was not there physically.

And this is what makes mothers special. Mothers are usually faced with difficult decisions to which they must find solutions while always putting their children first. A mother will choose to take her child to boarding school just because she has failed to find a good nanny or because she just does not trust her precious gift with anyone. Such a decision is never easy but a mother will make it without butting an eye just because we are that strong.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day today, celebrate all your mother has been to you and what she continues to be even when she does not physically live with you. Just like the little child my mother left behind, I was always comforted by her unending love and continuous hard work to ensure I grow up to become a responsible mother of three handsome boys.

Happy Mother’s Day.

VKM, proud mother of boys