It has become quite fashionable to celebrate Mothers’ day, Fathers’ day, Friendship day and so on. We could possibly thank the marketeers for their genius to remind us that we need to celebrate and respect our mothers, fathers or friends at least forone day a year.

I am personally not a big fan of such celebrations. Buying a gift or a greeting card and sending it to you mother on one day in a year may not really reflect on your love and affection for her. Then, someone may ask, how else do u celebrate ? I would prefer to look at one great quality my mother had and try to imbibe it ? It may not easy but worth a try.

Let me reflect on some of the outstanding qualities mothers have and which I have observed in my mother, my wife, my daughter , my sisters or my friends who are all mothers in their lives.

The first quality almost all mothers have is “Patience”. I am yet to come across a mother who is not tested by the tantrums of her kids. We all have witnessed it and may be have contributed to it as kids to our mothers. Many mothers miss their sleep, their comforts and their conveniences  to  take care of their children in the best possible way. Remember how a mother does not sleep all night just to take care of her crying baby patiently, but we do not realise how much it would have impacted her health.

The next quality I would admire would be selflessness. Most of the time I have seen my wife, daughter, sister or friends who are mothers willing to sacrifice their interest for the interest of others. It could be their parents, parents-in law, their spouses, their children or friends. It is this nature of selflessness, which makes them noble and admirable.

Another quality in mothers would be their adjusting nature. I have been a witness to many incidents where mothers have been more than accommodative. They tolerate the idiosyncrasies of many of us around them and are willing to let go in the larger interest of the family or kids. They take care of the different needs of all family members whether in food habits, travel, sports   or other matters with a smile.

The list of qualities, which one could imbibe from our mothers could be endless but the choice is ours. We could choose that quality to emulate, which we lack in ourselves. It could be building on a strength or working on a development area. Anyway, one looks at it, a mother is like a ocean of virtues. It is up to us to pick the best quality and follow. In my view, this would be the best way to celebrate “Mothers day” rather than sending a gift or a greeting to her today.

Try it and let me know how do you feel about it ?

S Ramesh Shankar