by Andrew S.
Waking up at 8a.m., I put on my clothes and crept up the stairs out of the basement where my stepfather and mother were sleeping. I had a half made photo album in hand along with the pictures and materials I would need to complete it.
My aunt and her boyfriend scrambled to help me complete the Mother’s Day album that my stepfather and I had been working on all week.
The look in my mother’s eyes when I gave her the album was like the glimmer of the ocean on a beautiful summer day. Life was not always like this though…
One day, when I was deep into my drug use, I asked my mom, “Why do you care so much?” I could not fathom how she could possibly still care about me after all the horrible things I had said and done.
While I was living what I thought was a normal life at home, my relationship with my mother was the furthest thing from my mind, and I disrespected her on a daily basis.
There are so many situations in which I said things to her that I would never say to my worst enemy. Yet, her love for me remained unconditional and unwavering.
It was because of my mother’s love that I was finally able to get out of the miserable life that I was living. Without her I would have been just another drug addicted teenager statistic. All her life she has been making sacrifices for me.
To get my life back on track, she has spent more money, time, and energy than I could ever ask for.
I am so grateful to her and I deeply cherish what she has done for me.
An Indian philosopher, Ganeshan Venkatarman, said, “God sees us through our mother’s eyes and rewards us for our virtues.”
To think that there is only one day out of the year designated to honor our mothers: this is bizarre. Every day should be a memorial of what our mothers do for us.
The things they have done, lessons they have taught, and their personalities will live on in our memories forever.
George Washington, the first president of the United States, said, “All I am I owe to my mother.” I feel the same gratitude towards my mother.
But not everyone is as lucky as I am. How do I know this?
Of the friends I had at home, many were as bad or worse than I in terms of behavior and drug use. Yet, I was the only one of them lucky enough to be sent away to a new healthy environment.
Because of my mom, I am not only graduating high school, but I am actually going to college.
The Prophet Muhammad said, “Heaven liveth at the feet of mothers.”
This holds true in my life. My mother has guided me out of the darkness into a new light.
Of course I will still have my struggles but with my mother’s love and my desire to stay sober, I feel confident in my success.
I could not think of a more appropriate topic for my column this month, since my mother and I enjoyed one of the first normal Mother’s Days we’ve had in a long time.
It was great just being with her and seeing her smile and laugh. She truly is the strongest woman I have met in my entire life.
Love is one of the hardest things to understand but a mother’s love is especially esoteric and awe-inspiring.
