MOTHER, A LADY LIKE NO OTHER: BY Joe Van Langenberg

May 10th, which happens to be the day that all Mums worthy of veneration, are able to bask in the warm glow of love & undivided attention from their offspring, is just a few heartbeats away.

It’s Mother’s Day, an occasion when this Lady like no other, needs to feel appreciated, special, honoured & cared for.

A Mother is the bedrock of her family, the glue which holds the unit together, in times of trouble & strife. She’s there for her children every step of the way, protecting them throughout their formative years, adolescence & well into manhood & womanhood. A Mother feeds her children their first morsel of food, watches them take their tentative baby steps, steadying them lest they stumble, gets them ready for their first day of schooling & gazes at them adoringly with tear-dimmed eyes, as they embark on one of their most vital stages of life.

Mum is the fierce protector, an angel sent down from the Celestial Heights, to direct her pride & joy on the trajectory to success. She offers solace, when her kids find certain situations sucking the wind from their sails, saying the right words that inspire confidence, while loving them unconditionally, regardless of whichever way the pendulum may swing. Mum’s warm embrace, combined with a gentle peck on the cheek & tender touch, soothes a broken heart, restores self-worth & heals a bruised soul.

Her advise is priceless, her smile lights up the darkest room. She’s at hand to lighten up the mood, when her children find themselves walking the boulevard of broken dreams; teetering on the abyss of no return. Mum becomes part & parcel of her childrens’ milestones such as graduations, weddings, proms or debutantes & finally, bringing into this topsy-turvy world, kids of their own.

Despite the passing of remorseless time, Mum’s never far away from her children, who more often than not, take on board her sagacious advise. Nothing gives a Mother more satisfaction, than keeping tabs on her grandkids, who are an extension of herself & rendering assistance if need be. She shines like a beacon in the night ; a colossus beyond compare. Every Mother has her own set of rules & guidelines.

At times, one’s methods may vastly differ from another’s, in terms of parenting. Be that as it may, at the day’s end, Mum always acts in the interests of her children; tempering kindness with firmness, in a genuine effort to transform them into upstanding, law-abiding citizens, capable of serving society & people at large. The greatest injustice any child can mete out to his/her Mother, is to take her for granted, show ingratitude & reckon she has outlived her purpose.

Notwithstanding the years taking their toll, Mum can never outlive her purpose. Neither will her lustre be ever tarnished. To all God’s precious gifts to humanity, Happy Mother’s Day. A special wish to my gorgeous daughter Mich, an exceptional Mum, whom I am profoundly proud of. May fragrant memories perfume your lives & give you wings beneath your feet, to reach the rainbow’s end.

Joe Van Langenberg

With Mother’s Day around the corner we ascribe this day to all Mothers whether they be our Grandmothers, our Mothers, our Wives our Daughters and Sisters.
Count them to be a Blessing as we remember them.