For My Mother on Mothers' Day

My mother is not the richest mother in the world. She isn’t the smartest, the bravest or the wisest. She’s not the most enthusiastic, the slimmest or the best cooker. One thing that my mother does have over every other mom in the world is her resiliency. She, like most mothers will stop at nothing to achieve what’s best for her children. She never stops loving, never stops sharing, never stops caring, or helping her children. Though her children may not be where she wants them to be at this point in their lives, she does not stop loving them for that, or accepting or understanding them. She constantly tries to get involved in what her children are involved in. When approached for help, advice or guidance, she merely smiles and offers an unbiased, objective view of all the options for her children to take, while never nudging her children in the way she wants them to go. This means her children have true independence and agency. However, she does not let the consequences of bad choices go unnoticed. She understands that a little bit of suffering does a world of good. She does not swoop in and rescue her children from their own mistakes, she lets them learn, lets them climb out of their own holes, offering the occasional safety line, but never completely bailing them out.
My mother’s silence can say any number of things. She can tell you exactly how she is feeling while never uttering a single sound. Her personality radiates an entire room and her hope and unbridled optimism can be felt, heart-to-heart. She’s been through good times and bad. She’s buried a child, a husband, brothers, both of her parents and the occasional pet, never losing her happiness, never losing her stability. She truly is a lighthouse in the storm, constantly guiding others to the safety of the shore. She stands firmly to her political ideology, often times in the faces of many sneering members of the opposite party, family members, and the very religion she loves. She accepts children not part of this family (Kai) with open arms, to all family parties and activities and treats them like her own. She braves the elements to give love to my own little one, Fenway, whom she is deathly allergic to. My mother never pushes her children, she knows that in their own good time they will do what is needed. This understanding of her children is beyond words, beyond comparison.
There is so much more I could say about her, but this will have to do. This is merely a fraction of what could be said about her. I hope this will do. So, Happy Mothers’ Day, mom. May the next year be filled with as much, if not, more joy than the last year. May you be granted everything your heart desires, and may you continue to fill the hearts of the children of the world with the same hope and optimism you have filled every one of your children with. I love you.