Recently, I read about a woman who trained her two children up to the university. There wasn't any detail about her marital journey. It was only stated that her husband eloped with another woman when the children were still in primary school. For a reason best known to the man, he left the care of the children to their mother alone. The woman, during an interview session with the media, explained her struggles through the years to get the children educated. She did all sorts of menial jobs. Though I don't know what led to the divorce between the woman and husband, she didn't allow it to deter her from doing her best to train her kids. The man in question left them without looking back. The woman weathered the storm and got her children through school up to university level.
The interview reminded me of an important woman in my life; my mother. She was my first love. She did everything legally possible to make sure that I was fine. Even presently, while I think about her welfare and pray to be able to take care of her, she is also thinking of the welfare of me and my family.
A true mother doesn't get tired of her children. My mum is a practical example.
When I was in school, if there was anything that I wanted to tell my father but found it difficult to say, I would go through my mother. She is ever ready to listen to me and understand every issue from my perspective. I remember waking up several times to meet her praying for my siblings and me.
I felt sick at one point during my childhood. I saw the reflection of pain in her eyes. I was the one that was sick but the effect was obvious more on my mother. What type of love should I call that? I would call it unconditional love.
My second woman of substance is my wife. When I see all she is going through to make our son fine, it proves to me that the great women of this world share similar attributes; love, strength and sacrifice.
Our son is teething and this has made the boy experience high body temperature resulting in sleepless nights. The mother stays awake for as long as our son dictates to her. In her heavy and dizzy eyes, I saw the evidence of a true mother. Unconditional love at its best. Just like my mother, she doesn't run from anything. She stays and gets it fixed.
I am inspired to write this post with a question.
Is the world appreciating this category of human enough?
I don't think so.
I once read someone jokingly complaining that the days tagged as Mother's Day are too many. I told him that mothers deserve to be celebrated every day.
This reminds me of a song by the late legendary reggae artist, Lucky Dube, titled "God Bless the Women."
Many people are declared heroes but the world tends to forget the women. They are the heroes that deserve praise and appreciation.
"Even when times are so hard
They are so cool, calm and collected"
Lyrics
The above lyrics define another unique attribute of women. Just like the woman that I talked about at the beginning of this post, women stay and find solutions to challenges. They don't run away from them. They navigate through hard times with resilience and undying spirit.
If you are a woman reading this, I celebrate you with this song. Continue to be strong for humanity's sake. Your efforts keep the world moving. God bless you.
If you are a man reading this, pray for the women in your life. It could be your mother, wife or daughter.
God bless the women.
