A Small Note About My Mother

Mother's Day, of course, is a time in which we pay homage to our mothers for doing the things that they do in order to make our lives better through love and nurturing. It is also a time to think deeply about why they work so hard to help us in the name of love.

And, I'd like to share a little bit about my own mom.

I think about my own mother, who is an intelligent, beautiful, witty and elegant woman. She always has a kind word to say about everyone while being tough as nails. She donates her time to worthy causes, especially with the homeless. And, knowing that she is a strong lady who carries herself with the utmost dignity, she has taught me to do the same even when times are difficult.

She has always influenced my sister and myself that life had a lot of possibilities for us. When we were little, she took us to the library three times a week. And she would always read to us before we went to bed. What was especially neat is that she would discuss what we were reading with us. That simple act led us on to bigger and better things, especially when staying aware of what was affecting us in terms of culture, society and politics.

My mom wouldn't call herself a political animal by any stretch of the imagination. However, she would always watch the news, listen to the radio and read a paper everyday. It was because of those simple habits, that she encouraged us to do the same. For my sister and myself, doing such things weren't boring. Because she and my father had told us early in life that events in society and politics affected us personally, that we had to stay aware of what was happening. As a result, she also had a part in introducing political talk around the dinner table every night until I left home to pursue higher education. Our dinner table was never silent. While pork chops or spaghetti was put on the plate, my mother would start out many a night by saying, "Did you guys hear about.....". Before we knew it, it would be a full fledged conversation not only of the things that happened in our lives, but how they extended into politics and culture.

Ever since I could remember, she would always encourage us to read and watch the news. In fact, it wasn't an assignment for myself or my sister. We'd do it because it would produce some of the most lively and interesting discussions around the dinner table. And although she wasn't as vocal as my dad and myself, she would make sure that her side was heard. And that was an important lesson for me. As you already know, I have always said that I am a very shy person. On-line, I have learned how to speak up for myself more. Sometimes, it has caused me to take part of some very controversial discussions. But, her act had taught me to speak up and never feel ashamed about my opinion. And it is that very lesson in which I am grateful to her for because without it, I wouldn't have the courage to write a blog, participate in a forum or even have a forum of my own.

She also taught me that even though we don't win every debate or get our feelings fully expressed in every conversation, we pick ourselves up and continue talking. It has been that wise stance that has also carried me through when things got a little contentious in discussing the latest issues that have caused our country much strife.

Even today, we still have those talks on the phone about politics, current news and culture. As we get older, she has revealed to me more and more about how she feels regarding the conditions of society. But, it is always based on the same premise of having the courage and conviction of expressing one's opinion about the world with conscience and erudition.

I thank her for that. Her small lessons in simply reading, conversing and watching the news has made me a more consciously aware adult now.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom, with a lot of love. :)