Mother's Day Musings

Truth be told, I don't want to miss my mom because it only reminds me that she's no longer in this world. 

Whenever I look at my son, my mind always brings me back to those moments when my mom lovingly gazed at me without saying a word. I remember a particular instance wherein I was in the study room, hitting the books for an exam, when Mommy stayed in the doorway staring at me with a mesmerized smile.

Mommy and I sometime in 1973

That moment was buried in the deepest recesses of my soul, unuttered until now. I could decipher what that look was all about when I had my son. 

Just seeing his face makes my heart flutter like no other. He doesn't have to do anything or say anything to make me happy. I simply am because he is there!

My son and I, sometime in 2008

However, as much as I want to be the best mom possible, I usually have misgivings. There were instances wherein a hug was more comforting than a reprimand or a word of encouragement way better than a critique. Ultimately, I still chose to admonish, maybe because I was too tired or stubborn to understand my son's predicament.

Now in my early forties, about the same age as my mom in the picture above, I realize that my mom was also far from perfect. But what makes her the perfect mom is the way she loved me; pretty much similar to the mother in this immensely inspiring video.

Filial Piety Video by ThinkFamily YouTube Channel

"How one generation loves, the next generation learns."

Much of what I know about love and sacrifice, I've learned from just watching my mom apply it in our daily lives, which according to her, was a product of "grasya," or what we refer to in the Bible as God's Amazing Grace. 

I once asked my 7-year-old son why we love the way we do. His reply, which he learned from attending Sunday School for the past four years, left me dumbfounded - but in a good way. 

"Mama," he responded, "we love because He first loved us." (I John 4:19)