papijoon quotidianus: MOTHERS DAY MAURITIUS AUSTRALIA MIXED LOVE

A letter to my mother...

To my beloved mother, Sylvana Dholah

Maman,
When I was 5 years, I so wanted to be just like you...
I admired your beauty, your elegance and your grace.
I would pretend to play 'school' and be a teacher just like you. For me, you were the most intelligent lady in the whole wide world.
I remember putting on your high heel shoes, your handbag on my shoulders and some of your clothes, all of which were way too big for me, I would put on your jewelery and make-up, just to be you for a brief moment in time...

Throughout the years, as I grew up and got to know you more and see you for the woman you truly are, and not just as my mother, my admiration for you just kept growing stronger... there couldn't have been any other better model for me to follow...

I envied your strength in times of tests and trials,
your perseverance to keep going on when you felt weak and tired,
your unwavering Faith in God and Baha'u'llah even in the darkest hours,
your dedication to perfection,
your compassion for the many people who came to you for help and support,
your love and the way you cared for my father, my brothers and me,
your patience towards your children when we would not be the little angels we now are (and God knows how many times we were not quite little angels),
the many sacrifices that you made without a second of hesitation for us and your loved ones,
your encouragement and your ongoing support throughout all of our up and downs,
I envied your cleverness and intelligence and how quickly your brain would work to figure out a solution to all the problems we faced throughout the years,
the way people would looked up to you as an example,
I envied your love for literature and words, and the way you always seek the good in everything and everyone you meet...

Maman, you blessed not only our lives, the lives of your own children, but the lives of so many more, all of your students, all of your 'adopted' children, you have been an example for each and everyone of us...

Maman, I could never express how much you have shaped me into being the person I am today, I know I still am not perfect and there is still lots for me to learn and grow from, but I don't think I would have ever been able to face what I have been through in life if it wasn't for the pillar of strength that you have been for me throughout the years....

And even today, in this dark moment of my life, I still look up to you...
I only need to look back into my memories of you to know what I have to do now...
I wished I would have listen to you more often and taken notes of all the wisdom you shared with us... maybe things might have been a little bit different in a lot of ways.... but who's to know what the future reserves for us....

Now that I am a mother myself and I have a daughter of my own,
I can only wish and pray that she loves me as much as I love you today!

And maman, now that I am 30 years old,
I still want to be just like you maman!

Je t'aime Maman!