Mother's Day

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world

Mitch Albom’s book and George Cooper’s poem serve to be the perfect combination as one slips into Mother's Day celebrations.....

Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,
Hundreds of shells on the shore together,
Hundreds of birds that go singing by,
Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather.

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.

~George Cooper~

I heard these beautiful lines as my Grade 3 teacher recited them slowly and articulately to my young mind. The significance of the poem has not changed since then…..

Mother - a word that reminds us of all warmth and love. She dedicates each day to us, so why not take this opportunity at least one day for her on Mother's Day to make her feel valuable and cherished.

The practice of celebrating the Mother is not alien to India. For thousands of years Hindus have been celebrating a ten-day festival, Durga Puja, honouring the divine mother Durga. Recently the more westernised festival of 'Mother's Day' has also come to become a part of our culture now. one day in the calendar is not enough to thank our mothers enough for all that they have been to us, it does offer an opportunity to honor and show our appreciation for our flesh and blood mother - the one person who has stood by us through good and bad times.

Buddha honoured mothers when he said, "As a mother, even at the risk of her own life, loves and protects her child, so let a man cultivate love without measure toward the whole world." While Agatha Christie affirmed, "A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path."

A book that talks about what so many of us yearn for; a chance to make good with a (lost) parent. It talks about a man called Chick Benetto. As a child, Benetto is told by his father, “You can be a mama’s boy or you can be a daddy’s boy, but you can’t be both.” So he chooses his father, and he worships him – right up to the day the man disappears. An eleven-year-old Chick must then turn to his mother, who bravely raises him on her own. Now a retired baseball player whose wife and daughter have severed ties with him Chick wants to commit suicide. But before he does so he decides to visit his old home where he was born and raised as a kid. He visits his home where he gets to spend a day with his dead mother, Posey Benetto, who died eight years ago.

“The story talks about his guilt, the times when his mother stood by him and the times when she didn’t. It is about a son who finds solace in sharing his story and feelings with his dead mother when he is disappointed with life. The story continues with what happens to Chick Benetto after visiting. He learns the things he never knew about his mother and her sacrifices. And he tries, with her tender guidance, to put the crumbled pieces of his life back together. It makes one both ponder and wonder what one would do if one got to spend a day with someone one has lost.

Mitch Albom pays homage to all mothers with this novel that beautifully shows the enduring power of a mother's love, a love so strong it can transcend even death. The book makes one reminisce along with Chick Benetto about the things you wish you had done better with your own mother.

Chick had the unheard of luxury of being able to spend just one more day with his mother who has travelled to a different world. But we folks too should not miss any opportunity to pledge our love and devotion to the hand that rocked our cradle and now rules our world.