To You, Mom


Today I missed you. When the maid was cleaning the kitchen, I wanted to say your exact words, 'Do the glasses first.' I realized how much I behave like you. Those little habits that irked me while growing up are a part of me now. Some say I am your replica. I feel proud to hear that but at the same time I know I am not half as good as you are.

We kids never realize what our mothers do till we are placed in the same spot. We bask happily under your shadow, making excuses for almost everything. I discuss it with my friends how our mothers did everything without cribbing and always with a smile. Is something wrong with our generation or I have to be a mother to understand the generosity of this word?

I remember the day when there was flood in Ambala. We were sipping coffee on that beautiful rainy day. Out of nowhere, in just 20 minutes, our house was half submerged. You panicked. We started arranging furniture, throwing things on top of closets and saving whatever we could. The way you were behaving, I thought why were you over-reacting? There was nothing more we could have done. I thought, I was quite composed and you were hysterical. 

It took me many years to understand why you behaved like that. When you dedicate your life to your family, your house is your temple. You preserve each of the materialistic things. Each item is a token of their presence, their memories and their love. That's the reason first you took all the framed pictures and kept it on a top shelf of the closet. They meant more than a costly show-piece kept adjacent to those pictures. You knew how to place value. I just labelled things.

It taught me the importance of home. I understood when a mother picks up her child's trophy when half of her costly belongings are perishing in water, she knows how upset her child would be when she won't find it. She knows what to protect. You were not hysterical, you were trying to protect as many memories as you could. I was unaffected as I only placed monetary value to it. I was composed as I never realized how far a mother could think for her child's happiness. To put it in a single sentence - I was not a mother.

When we were hit by super storm Sandy last year, I did my best to protect my home and my family. I knew what was needed. Now, I know how to place value on things. Thanks to you! 

When I look back at my growing up days, I feel happy. I was brought up by such a wonderful person who not only taught me the basics of life but made me into a strong independent woman. For my successful marriage when people give credit to me, the credit automatically goes to you. Above everything else you made me a better person. 

Here's a poem I've written for you:
From crawling till walking,
From humming till talking,
From taking my worries when I moan,
To listening to my problems on the phone,
I thank 'mom' for all these times,
She is the symphony in my rhymes.
Forgot few things a child's eye would miss,
She cut her finger deliberating on my favorite dish.
She kept quite when boss shouted for being late,
She had a lot to calculate.
I kept quiet on all these things,
She is a 'hero' whose praise no one sings.
She begged the doctors; even the nurses for me,
She prayed for my success bending on her knees.
She hardly slept when I was a baby,
She groomed me into a fine lady.
I should payback her; in a way she would agree,
For that I have to be a mother as good as 'she.'

Hope you like it.

Love,
Saru

P.S. Please throw my purple frock which you saved from flood. I hate it, my friends called me brinjal whenever I wore it.

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‘I am writing a Tribute to Mom in association with Parentous.com'

Comments

  1. What a beautiful tribute, Saru.

    These are the women who made us who we are, the women who brought us up, the women who have kept on bringing us up no matter how adult we claim to be....:))
    This demonstrates the awesomeness of your Mom in particular...Loved it!

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    1. Yes, we owe everything to them. You are a mother and you know this quite well. I am yet to wear the coveted shoes.

      Glad you liked it :) Thanks for reading!

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    2. Hats off Girl !!! Just loved it to the core..and it inspired me to death to write something for my own Mom..Thanks Dear

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    3. Please share when you do that. Glad you liked it :)

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  2. Perfect!!
    Nice learnings taken from Mum's experience.
    Mums are so special.

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  3. We can never understand the importance of Mother...unless we turn up to confront the similar circumstances many years after...and yes...a very good lesson to be learned...a mother is the one who makes us realize the worth of storing memories then priced Antiques...

    Poem was just an icing over the cake...it's picture perfect...!!!

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    1. This is such a beautiful line, 'Mother is the one who makes us realize the worth of storing memories then priced Antiques...'

      Thank you for reading and for a beautiful comment Anjan :)

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  4. Girl, you made me fall in love with your lines again and again...just beautiful..we don't realize what our moms do for us while growing up..it's only when they are away, we know how valuable each moment has been. :)

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    1. Seriously, when we are devoid of the luxuries they give us, we know their value. And thanks for a lovely comment. You made my day! :)

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  5. Heart felt ...beautiful tribute .....!!

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  6. Aww..couldn't have said better Saru..lovely!

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  7. Aww...I'm sure your mother would have been in tears of happiness when she read it. And the purple frock would have brought back joy. Lovely poem too. A great tribute to a wonderful Mom! :-)

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    1. I wish she can read it. She doesn't have internet connection :(

      Thanks for reading Rekha and for a beautiful comment!

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  8. Saru, Have I told you that you weave magic with your words. A mothers love can only be felt when you walk a mile in her shoes. Growing up,I always thought my mom was ordinary, staying away from her, in retrospect I wonder how she managed to do everything that she did. It was a beautiful tribute to your mom. Good luck for the contest.

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    1. Thank you Sonia for the wishes and for a lovely comment. :)

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  9. You walk tall today for the values ingrained in you by a mother who was epitome of love and dedication! Stay blessed Saru:)

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  10. Wonderful tribute Saru. Lovely poem to go with it.

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  11. Saru this a great tribute to your Mom. No other love is so pure, so selfless and so valuable than mother's love, Loved reading your post.

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    1. That is vey true. Mom's love is special. Thanks for reading Ma'am :)

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  12. God swear, Many people write topics just for the contest and I usually comment them "Nice, Keep it up etc." without reading, but I read your post thoroughly and I must say that U were excellent with your post which struck the right chords and were able to connect with heart....Stay blessed!!!!

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    1. That's such a motivating comment. Thanks a million dear. You made my day. It feels great when someone appreciates you effort. :)

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  13. What a beautiful tribute indeed, Saru... those lines had feeling of love towards your mom !

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  14. A beautiful Tribute!

    'I should payback her; in a way she would agree,
    For that I have to be a mother as good as 'she.' These are so profound and deep lines, loved it!

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    1. Thank you Kislaya :) Those are my favorite too :)

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  15. HAAHAHAHAHHAAH...AWWWWWW
    SARU I really hope your mom read this. This is such a beautiful post and the lines...you know you are amazing :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you RH! I will recite the poem to my mom over phone, hope she likes it :)

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  16. Beautiful.

    Moms are always special who love their children unconditionally.

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  17. special tribute to a special person in our lives

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  18. Such a touching post, in the first few lines, you almost made me cry :(........If she had read this post,Your mom would have been proud of you!

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    1. Awww...Thanks a ton Bushra :) And, sorry to make you cry...

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  19. Very heartfelt tribute and the poem is just perfect!! A mother-daughter bond is unique and your post brings out the essence of it so beautifully!!

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  20. Your poem left me with an almost tearful smile :))

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  21. Lovely one Saru. Nothing can replace the Love of a Mother :)

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  22. Lovely Saru. Love your poem, It touched my heart, left me all mushy mushy inside :)

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    1. Good to know that Ankita. Thanks for reading :)

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  23. Nice tribute to a Mother. It seems you have written this post not with words but with a great bonding and emotions.There is a small poem in Tamil which goes like this:'Mother, to your Lotus Feet, I take refuge when I sail through hard times; off loading my troubles at your feel, I seek your lap to sleep.

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    1. Such a beautiful poem Sir. Thanks a ton for sharing it. :)

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  24. I jus loved your post..a perfect tribute to mom...

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  25. Saru .. wonderfully dedicated ! Mums are our mentors and God we can see! All of us feel almost similar about mums but what makes you different is the way you express. Speaks for itself why you have so many people appreciating you !!
    :)

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    1. Awww...Thank you dear. I love the way you have written that they are God we can see...:)

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  26. A touching and apt tribute, Saru. I also catch myself at times behaving or talking like my parents!

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    Replies
    1. I guess, we all do. It is something in our genes.

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  27. Beautiful piece of writing Saru...really!:)

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  28. Such a lovely, moving and beautiful piece!

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  29. Simply beautiful! I am sure she would be proud :)

    Akhil Kalsh. http://1hw.in

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  30. So well written, followed by that lovely poem.....

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  31. you are right....sometimes we don't understand the reasons for our moms action till the time we actually face similar kind of situations and at that time immense respect automatically comes to one's heart.....i hope everybody should realize this as early as possible ...i liked your poem especially this line

    "She cut her finger deliberating on my favorite dish."

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    1. Thank you Chetan and yes, we understand only when step in their shoes. :)

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  32. I don't know what to comment, it was such a lovely read...

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  33. Your emotions are so beautiful that they could have reached your mother, for sure! Very exciting! I liked the poem very much. :)

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    1. Thank you Gayatri. BTW, why haven't you posted in a long time?

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  34. Beautiful. Sad I could not register my vote as this post had exceeded the maximum limit.

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  35. For the first time, your post made me cry... that's the beauty of your writing! it's just beyond words..to tell you how beautiful it was!

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  36. Wonderful tribute! It takes years for us to understand Mom's behavior..True.

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  37. it is so touching, yet so sweet to read it :)

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  38. Oscar Wilde said once "A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing" - and moms convert cynical children to wonderful human beings. Well brought out, Saru!

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    1. They do convert us into better human beings. Thanks for reading and sharing such a lovely quote. :)

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  39. nice read Saru. I am sure your mom will be glad to read this, to know that you took out time our of your busy schedule to dedicate your blog spac to her!

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    1. I hope, she will. Thanks for reading Stuti :)

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  40. Aww...that's so sweet of you Saru for dedicating this post to your Mom. Really, Mother is another name for God. I was literally laughing reading P.S. :)

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  41. Beautiful Saru,

    Just Beautiful

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  42. Why I did not see this post long back? Thankfully FB showed the way !
    True words , beautifully written Saru :)

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  43. Congratulations Saru on winning the contest! It indeed was a wonderful tribute. :-)

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  44. As a mom who has a mom I appreciate your sentiments!How true it is we do become like mom as days go by......

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  45. Congratulations Saru for winning the competition

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  46. Well written and true to nature.
    I realized how much I behave like you...... something that my wife keeps saying to her mother.
    Congratulations on winning :-)

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    Replies
    1. We never realize when we start behaving like them. With age, I am liking it too.

      Thanks for reading and for your wishes :)

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  47. brinjal lol ...

    that's a post written from the heart .. congrats for the award ma'am ..

    your mum must be very proud of you !

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    1. Thank you so much Rahul. We can skip ma'am and brinjal here :)

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  48. Sweet. I'm sure there were wet eyes when she read this. Belated Mother's Day wishes to her. :)

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    1. Love the post script! :)The little embarrassments of childhood, na?

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    2. I recited the post to my mother over phone and she was really emotional. Belated Mother's Day to you as well, Divya. :)

      Those little embarrassments sounded like everest to us :P

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  49. Congratulations on the win! And what can I say, you are my fav person, I would awlays want you to win :-)

    And yes, just the other day I was discussing how my husband sometimes takes me for granted and how that feels horrible. But then the person who is taken for granted the most is our mother, but still never she makes us feel that. I dunno how someone gets that kind of maturity love and mental strength. I guess the entire process of labor transforms you not just phsycially but mentally also!

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  50. and yeah, I too love that PS! hehe, I have one blue won, which I hated!

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    1. True, the process makes you a better person. And you said it very beautifully, we always take the most closest person for granted. May be we don't fear losing them. And thanks for the first two lines. It feels amazing to be appreciated by friends. BTW, where is your dress? I hope you have discarded it :P

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  51. lovely..you deserve the prize..you deserve praise...
    got this in my mind..the one I wrote years back when I ve started writing

    one loves ones mother
    as does none other

    may it be a beggar
    loves his childhood bearer

    may it be a doctor
    loves his career creator

    never sees what her son is
    always serves him with ease...

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    Replies
    1. That's a beautiful poem. Thanks for sharing such a lovely read with us. Thanks for your wishes too. :)

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  52. Congratulations for winning the contest, dear! :)

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  53. Just amazing :) No wonder you won the first prize. Perfect!

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  54. Very few people care and talk about their roots, these days. Thanks Saru, faith in humanity, restored!

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  55. The poem was too good! great work.

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  56. Awww so heart-touching ! loved it

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  57. So inspiring ! congrats for that lovely post !

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  58. "I know I am not half as good as you are."
    I can't agree more to this, Saru.
    Sold myself completely at this.

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