Mother

Footnote of an OFW Mother to Young Ladies

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She fell into the promise of love and the assurance of a better life at a young age. Nothing else mattered. Going to school was not even an option anymore because the call to settle down was far louder than any other choices. She gladly embraced the role of a wife at the age of 17 and a mother at 18.

The thing is when one is young and is in loved, the whole world stops. Life ceases to revolve unless one is given what he/she wanted. Tomorrow might not come, so it was the best time for love. Carpe Diem. Seize the day while the sun is still up.

“What about your future? You are still young. You can still pursue high school if you want.” Her parents persuaded her. Howbeit, her ears were deaf to all those discouragements. Youth must always triumph, and she did. She did.

From up downhill

Soon after, she became a mom of one, then two, and three…then life. Everything all went spiralling down. Then, she realised that life is not at all a bed of roses but of nails.  Cliche but true and she learned life’s most difficult lesson the hard way. But there’s no backing out from it.

Like a dried seed blown by unstable winds, she too, along with her family has to move to wherever there was an opportunity to grow but the soil  was always parched and dry and the rain was hard to come by.

Life gets tougher

Life was getting tougher, and the children were growing. Suddenly, gone was the beauty of a young lass. What was left was a picture of a young woman dragged into motherhood. No more dreams of her own. Her wishes are all for her little ones now.

Circumstances forced her to leave to earn a living for her family. She had to endure the harrowing pain of being away from her growing young ones to provide for their needs. There isn’t anything that a mother will endure for her family.

One year, two years, and the children grew too fast. Sometimes, they see her. Most of the time, they don’t. She wasn’t there during the most crucial stage of her daughter’s transition from childhood to puberty. She missed the chance of watching them perform on stage during closing ceremonies. She had missed the moment when her young son brought home his first athletic medal.

A mother’s chance to work overseas

Until there came a bigger opportunity to earn double overseas. With only six years of elementary education, off she went with extraordinary guts and faith. All she had was the heart of a mother wanting only the best for her dearest children. She took with her an inspiration of a bright future for her children…her family.

The war broke out in Lebanon, but she suppressed her fears. She held  on to that opportunity  to earn a little more. Amidst the bang bang of guns and the canon blasts, she opted to stay. No wars could ever scare her away. She is a mother and a mother is a superwoman.

Her thoughts were always about her family. She had sons and a daughter at home waiting for that amount she will send. Sadly,  as the years passed, the knot that tied between her and her behalf had gone weak too. The saddest part has yet to come…

A mother’s pain

What else can stab the deepest recesses of a mother’s heart than her children becoming a stranger to her? It is not the estrangement between her and the man of her dreams not so long ago. It is not the faded love for her once upon a time ‘knight in shining armour’,  but it’s the cold shoulders of her once sweet little babies.

She cannot blame them for that. After all, she had been away for years. She was not there while they were growing up. The mother they needed to comfort them when they’re having a bad day is somewhere out there — million miles away from home. She was in another part of the world taking good care of someone else’s kids not hers. She has to pay the price and it cost her so much.

Whatever happened to all those promises a long time ago? They remained promises in the past. Unfulfilled. The future has a different path for all of them. Whether they like it or not, they have to move on because not every fairy tale has a happy ending.

“But the reality of life is this. Marriage is a responsibility and motherhood is a lifetime commitment. Hence, before plunging into its deep hole, think it over a hundred times or better yet, ask your mother, for mothers always know BEST!”

 Life’s greatest lesson from a mother

They say time heals. I’d like to believe that it has done its part in mending the wounds of the mistakes committed in the past. It may have left indelible scars but it also conveyed significant lessons to learn from.

The thing is when one is young and is in loved; the whole world stops revolving. Life ceases to exist unless one is given what he/she wanted. Youth must triumph…love should find a way…then afterwards…LIFE.

But the reality of life is this. Marriage is a responsibility and motherhood is a lifetime commitment. Hence, before plunging into its deep hole, think it over a hundred times or better yet, ask your mother, for mothers always know BEST!

Also Read:

Finding my Purpose as a Young OFW

Forty Lessons: Reflections on my 40th Birthday

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