Mother - Do we really value her? Do we really care for her? Do we really treat her the way we should? Most importantly, do we have time for her? Do we ???

Just a two days back, we had a small discussion over this topic - What is the most important thing on this earth? We were given three options to choose from - Father, Mother and Money. Well, it was quite difficult to make out the most important from those three options. It wasn't only me. Infact, it was the same case with all my friends. All of them didn't know what to answer. Finally Ajay Sir, one of our seniors stood up and was first to accept that its the MOTHER which is the most important. And money comes just after that. I was quite shocked to know that there was no place for father. Couldn't understand the reason behind this :(

Whatever maybe, Ajay sir was right. Yes, Mother is the most important thing on this earth. She is the reason why we are on this earth. She is the reason why are enjoying the fruits of life. She is the reason why we don't feel pain in our lives. She is the reason why we don't trust our father as much as we trust our mothers. She is the ultimate teacher in our lives. She is everything..to be honest.

Yet, its pity that most of us don't realize it today. We are so busy with our ownself today that we tend to forget our roots. We have time for everything today but we don't have time for our mother, must say..parents to be more specific. I may sound a bit conservative. But its the truth today. I've been reading a lot on all these. And very recently, I was in the state of shock. And you know why - because I saw something which I could never expect from any son, at least from any responsible son. This son had made her mother live like an animal. He used to tie her mother with a chain like we use to tie our pets in our homes. Reason she was aged now. She was a burden to him and his family now. And she was kept separated from the family in a small cave like thing. That cave was so small and dense that one would hardly fit into it. And to add to it, she was just given one time meal and was debarred from using a common toilet. And the worst to happen, both son and his wife would beat her daily like anything. The mother would scream and cry but it didn't made any sense to his so called son. He just used to follow what her wife would instruct. All these and more was shown live on that news channel. It was just so unbelievable and shocking. Finally after a sting operation, both son and his wife were arrested and that pretty unfortunate mother was freed.

Well, I have just followed one incident. There are many more similar cases today. The society today looks sick. Relationships are dying every minute, every second. Human values are deteriorating. Its high time, we realize this and do the needful. We need to value our parents and more importantly, our mothers.

Just leaving you with one touching story. Hope you will read this and get something from it just as I did :)
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I hated my mother because she was such an embarrassment. She ran a small shop at the local flea market. she collected some fancy things and other odd things to sell for the money we needed. One day while I was in elementary school my mom came to my classroom. I was so embarrassed and threw hateful look at her and ran out. The next day my classmates taunted me saying,"Your mom has only one eye! I then wished my mom would just disappear from this world so said to her,"Mom, why don't you have the other eye. If you are determined to make me a laughing stock at school, why don't you just die?"

My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad but at the same time it felt good to think that I had said what I had wanted to say all this while. Maybe because my mom did not retort or punish me, I didn't think I had hurt her feelings very badly. However that night when I woke up and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, my mom was crying there so quietly as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her and then turned away. There was something pinching me in the corner of my heart. Even then, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye.

As I was desperate to get out of our grinding poverty, I studied real hard so that I would grow up and become successful. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied and got accepted in the Seoul University and emerged with flying colors. Then I landed up a good job, got married, bought a house of my own and had two kids. I started living happily as a successful man. I liked it there because it was a place that didn't remind me of poverty of my mom. Everything was going fine when one day my mother decided to visit me. She still had only one eye and it felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little daughter ran away when she saw my mom's eye. This made me scream at her, "How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter like this!" "Get out of here now!" I shouted and my mother quietly answered, "Oh, I am so sorry and she disappeared out of sight." I told myself that I won't care to think about this for the rest of my life and I felt quite relieved.

One day, an invitation for a school reunion came to me and I decided to attend it. After the reunion, just out of curiosity I went down to the old shack that I used to call my home. There I found my mother resting on a cot. And on a table nearby there were some medicines and a letter. It was a letter she had written to me and it read as follows -

My dearest son,

I think I have lived long enough and I might die very soon. Before dying I would like to see you. But I won't visit Seoul anymore as I don't want you to feel embarrassed. because of me. But would it be too much to ask you to visit me once in a while? I really miss you so much. One of your childhood friends told me that you are likely to come for the school reunion. I was so glad when I heard that. But when I remembered that I had only one eye and I would be an embarrassment for you. I decided the school. And I'm really sorry that I have only one eye and that I have always been an embarrassment for you.

But I think you may be so angry with me if I told you how I came to have only one eye. You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't bear to see you grow up with only one eye. So, I gave you mine. Then I used to feel so proud of you my son. I was glad that you grew up with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple of times that you were angry with me, I thought to myself, it's because you love me. My son, I don't want you to cry for me after my death. I want you and your family to live happily. Please don't cry my son. I love you so much. Have a blessed life.

Your ever-loving mother