Mother I Owe my Success to You – Happy Mother’s Day!

This is a small tribute to my mother on occasion of mother’s day. The lady whom I recall spending entire day to look after us. She never worked to earn a living, she was a housewife, a home maker. Someone who loved to control everything home related and did so efficiently and passionately.

She had the final say at every decision we took as family, be it choosing the next vacation destination or deciding if we needed new dresses. She maintained family budget and spending. She kept track of household inventory, she maintained supply needs. She prepared the grocery list.

She was on top of everybody’s need, amazingly she knew our needs much before we realized them as our needs. My father is a lucky man to have him as wife.

If he taught me the early lessons of investment and money. My mother taught me other human behaviors.

My mother taught us how money can be saved by doing things yourself. She sew clothes because getting them ready made was costly. My father had to take care of his elderly parents, his brothers and sisters, along with us. He didn’t have enough money.

She took it upon herself to finish things in cheaper and frugal ways. She prepared food, washed clothes, cleaned home and took care of her in-laws.

I never saw my parents fighting for money. Mom always had the final say. She took care of us and every one who lived with us equally. She never let us splurge on things, at the same time we never had to wear torn clothes or dirty shoes. We were poorer than our friends but no body knew that, and no body could tell that. She taught us to enjoy finer things in life and feel happy.

We always wore washed and cleaned dresses, always had plenty of school supplies, in India we needed to carry food to school, we always had tastiest and best food among fellow students.

Till high school she was our (my elder brother and I) only teacher. When I think now, I get amazed by the amount of time she had for us even after taking care of a big extended family. She was like a machine, always running at full throttle.

My father taught us to be best, my mother taught us to remain humble and care others. Father used to say I was gifted and I should not wasted my talent. My mother, on the other hand, kept reminding me that I was born to help others and I was needed to create compassion for others. I needed to create loving and rewarding relationship, I needed to forgive others. I needed to treat others well, I needed to donate to charity once I had enough money.

She taught me to be a better person. You let me be a better person.

Mother, let me tell you that whenever someone praises me for being a good person, I remember your words, they are inscribed in me since childhood.  It would remain forever and get passed on to a newer generation if I had any.

It’s for you that I learned to value good healthy food and physical exercise. You taught me to love and be loved. Thanks you mother, I know it’s nothing in return to what you have done, but this is the best I could do at this moment. This post and whatever success, how little it may be, I tasted is because of you.

You made me happy and you still make me happy.  I am missing you today.