Long-distance calls back home, they always implant in me a strange pang of nostalgia, as crosses through my eyes-the beautiful face of my beloved mother. The first sentence of concern as soon as m I ring my home number is about my well-being and health. Her laughter, the feeling of embracing love and care refresh me in milliseconds in this foreign country, standing in the kitchen of my home thousands of miles away from her.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Menu, the successful implementation of her food recipes explained over the phone, the careful proportional mix of sugar vs. baking powder in vanilla chocolate cake, the creamy texture of milk in rice puddings- Mommy must be informed of the latest updates. The questions/exclamations following from my end, describing my health consciousness and a strict detox dietary regime are plainly discarded. Per Mommy, the benefits of a ‘full’, nutritious, edible diet cannot be ignored and that I require a sumptuous, extensive food menu to be a strong woman!
I am glancing outside my window and see a mother feeding her daughter. In the background, I can still hear my mother instructing me about the wonders of applying honey-lime mixture on the face and I smile at her immense care about me, which seems so untouched by the passage of time and years that have passed by. She still regards me as her 5 year old ‘big’ daughter who would cry after getting up from an afternoon nap, not seeing a glass of chocolate milk at her study table.
My thoughts are interrupted by my mother’s voice, telling me to put down the phone as she needs to prepare dinner for my father. And I suddenly smell something pungent and run towards the kitchen, as I forgot the omelet cooking on the pan simultaneously. I laugh quietly at my ignorance and suddenly sense a refreshing and relaxing feeling within myself; the moments that I spend on the phone with her are my blissful moments of the day, when she can tell sitting thousands of miles away from me- my health, my present/past mood, my shopping plans and my urge to eat rice pudding.
She has taught me so much about life without taking any formal classes of her principles with me. Her dedication towards her husband and children is exemplary, her past 25 years have foreseen every moment utilized to make her children happy, make them complete their homework on time, score an A++ in the Art Class and wear the best dress to the best friend’s birthday party, while preparing sweets for the festival.
She is an epitome of love, care and overflowing blessings, strength and perseverance to live life with all smiles as it comes to us. I miss her so much more as I am looking at the mirror and applying the honey-lime mixture over my face. A tear drop flows down and I smile aloud as I remember her saying that I get dark circles below my eyes whenever I cry. She is so much a mother..!!
No comments:
Post a Comment