HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY - 12 MAY 2013

For all those women out there whether you are a biological mother, adopted mother, surrogate mother, foster mother, sisters, aunties, nieces, baby sitters, caretakers, ..... my respect, appreciation and thanks for being there for my children and others. Even though they say that every day should be a Mother's Day, it is nice to know that there is one special day dedicated to us for others to show their unspoken, unuttered, unshowed display of affection. It was understood that Mother's Day was actually a day of celebrating the nuns. According to an uztaz, as long as it is not a religious celebration, it is "harus" as what is proclaimed by Majlis Fatwa. Since it is celebrated commercially, the real intention for the celebration is gone and replaced by appreciation of "mothers" in every sense of the word.

When the boys started to go to boarding schools, they hated public display of affection. When I tried to kiss their forehead to say goodbye, they would turn their heads or tried to pull their faces away. One day, feeling slighted, I told Akmal, my first son,... "let there not be the day when you asked me for a kiss goodbye and I am no longer here..."  the other two brothers looked on and watched what he would do, taking his lead. He gave his face to be kissed willingly at the bus station in full view of his friends and the public. Ever since then, when it was time to say goodbye, they were the ones who waited expectantly for me to take their faces in my hands and kissed their foreheads goodbye. Not the cheeks but their "ubun-ubun".

As children, I used to run my fingers through their hair and kissed them good nite. Nowadays, sometimes, when we were together on the bed, just talking or sharing stories, I still gently ran my fingers through their hair. Sometimes we played this game of comparing our hands and feet. How large they had grown.  :-)D)  Maybe because they were not girls who were more showy in their affection. We compared their darkness and fairness. These little antics that we did without their father. Just me and the boys. I am very grateful for the bonding that we shared.

When they were in boarding schools, they sent sms wishes. Nowadays, they sent through facebook. Postings that would garner a few likes from their friends and family. This year, Ikram and Syafiq were home after they had completed their courses. Ikram washed my car as a Mother's day gift. Syafiq send me virtual card through my facebook. And of course, dinner since I was working on that day. Thank you for a memorable day. Simple yet satisfying with all the thoughts and wishes.

The simple dinner of kailan ikan masin, ayam halia, ikan sweet sour and omelette at a simple Petai Belalang restaurant courtesy of the father, of course.  ;-)