Dear Editor,
If mothers continue to be butchered by their male counterparts, then very soon we might not have them to honour on Mother’s Day. The proof is in the media day after day, with reports of them being sought after, abused, beaten, raped and horrendously killed. This letter is dedicated to all the mothers out there – my mom being at the top of the list – who have made it through thick and thin in life, who have given 110 per cent to their children and then some more, who toiled night and day to make a house a home, who lived through some of the toughest times in their lives, who lived hellish days but never complained about it, who did so much for so many and were hardly ever complimented or thanked, who never went to sleep at night without thinking about a new way to make the life of her husband and children happier the following day.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, my mom is not as close as I want, however, being a grown- man at twenty- five, who needs a mother in their life right? I do. We all do. No matter how old you are, man, woman or child – we all need our mothers with us. Whoever thinks they don’t has not experienced the love of a mother. I grew side by side with my mom, and I am not ashamed to say it. My dad was there too. But she was ever more present – not that I do not appreciate my dad’s efforts (because they are indeed sterling) – and my mom performed so well under so much pressure. Yet she lived an honorable, decent and God- fearing life and still does!
My mom, when I was very small, would accompany me to the altar in our home and stand next to me, hands clasped, and pray, and take me to the Anglican Church in New Amsterdam inside the Tomb of Jesus (in the church) and ask ‘Gentle Jesus’ to watch over me, especially whenever she had to go and work in the States, as times in the ’90s were very hard in Guyana especially the early portion of that decade.
She also took me and my sisters there as well when we were very sick, took candles and sprinkled holy water upon us. When I was a little older, she used to drag me out of bed to go to Sunday service. I used to hate it, waking up so early, but I realized later on how important attending church was to me and what it did to me much later on. As big as I was, my mom kissed, caressed and hugged me ever so often (as my dad too), but it was much more ‘loving’ coming from her. I remember that ‘comforting’ feeling everyone feels when their close to their mother — a feeling like no other in the world. My mom said to me that leaving me so small to go and work in the US was one of the hardest things she had to do. Today, she still worries like hell for me.
At this stage in life, she still thinks she should be here in Guyana with me, washing my clothes, ironing them, making sure I dress neatly for work, going with me to church, cleaning and packing up my room, and oh yes, cooking that hearty mother’s meal for me — there’s no cooking like hers! She worries about what I will become in life, where life would take me. She is proud of me, I know, ever so much because of my work as a teacher, my little works in the media and being so into God and the work of his Church. It hurt her a lot when I converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism (as she had brought all of us up Lutheran) but she accepted and supported my decision fully afterwards.
My mom’s the best woman I ever know. She is so kind to others, even to those who have done wrong to her. She does not hold malice against anyone. She loves to give and give and give without expecting anything back in return. And most importantly, she supports me wholeheartedly in anything I set out to do, even if she may not approve of it at first. But she is hurt very easily – she is so fragile.
I have learned ever so often that it is best to listen to your mother; if not you shall pay the price. I say that light-heartedly, but there are numerous occasions when I did not listen to my mom and things went awry. With nearly sixty years of being on this earth, having excellent health and still looking as fine-looking as Cinderella, my mom has been through it all, has experienced it all and hence, is filled with a wealth of knowledge and experience about practically anything and any situation. She is a strong lady.
But ever so often, even the strong have their moments. She succumbed so many times during the storms of life, but she got up back and continued walking the walk.
I pray for forgiveness and penance to God and Our Lady for all the times I hurt my mother. I didn’t mean to. There are many things I wished I hadn’t done or said. There were times when I lost my temper and was very rude to her, when I lied to her, when I disrespected her, and most of all there were times when I did not stand up for my mother when I should. No one can turn back the hands of time, but little words like these can bring much healing to our hearts.
Today, if anyone who is reading this has a mother, I say to them that these ladies are not ordinary people. Mothers are ‘celestial beings’ among us roaming the world and making it and our lives a better place. Our world would be nothing without our mothers.
Your world would be nothing without your mother. If she’s alive, cherish her, love her, and tell her every day that you love her. If she’s close at hand, do kind acts for her — not big acts — but acts that are big of the heart, pamper her, do not let others take advantage of her, especially those abusive dads out there. If your mom is being treated badly, beaten or abused by your dad, tell him how you feel, pray for him, and if it is getting worse, report the matter to the police. But get her help immediately.
No mother should ever be laid a hand upon by any man. None! The man that strikes a mother surely is a product of failure from his own mother or father.
And finally, there is a saying that you cannot and should not trust anyone on this earth but yourself. That saying is wrong; you can trust your mother. With trusting her, you can never go wrong in life. Her love is one of the closest you’ll experience in your lives other than God’s love.
Yours faithfully,
Leon Jameson Suseran
