The Mother- The Love Testament

Last night, I had the blessing of watching My Sister's Keeper (thanks to the generosity of a friend). The film left me with a plethora of emotions, a tinge of compassion, some feelings of pity and so on...but most of all, I begin to come to a deeper realisation of unconditional love. This was reflected by a mother in the film (pardon me, for i cannot really recall her name due to the attack of the ZZZ monster).

This mother was a well to do lawyer, endeavouring to establish her own legal practice. She was living a blissful life, like any other young mother, enjoying the companionship of her husband and being alongside her newly born child. However, just as she was savouring these moments of joy, she discovered some anomalies in her daughter's body, that discovery induced a radical change in her life, not for the better... After a whole string of investigations, her daughter (Kate) was diagnosed with leukemia. That was surely a devastating news for her.

Upon the discovery, she vouched to be by her daughter and tried ways and means to get her cured. She was by her daughter 24/7...during treatment, during silent moments, during times were life just seems so bleak... That did not come free of course, to be able to do that, there must be some opportunity costs, as defined in economic parlances. The trade off in this case was great, she had to put aside her career, which she painstakingly established, her marriage, which is a indispensable part of a woman's life... She also went to the extent of shaving bald so as to boost the self-esteem of her daughter who was going through chemo therapy. When faced with legal indictment, she went against all odds to fight the case. She gave up all the imperatives of a woman- beauty, family and marriage. All these, just to ensure that her daughter could live another day...How deep a mother's love, giving up everything for her child.

The whole epitome of love was observed, however, not from the aforementioned gestures, contrary to many's beliefs. It was seen when she was willing to give up all her efforts of saving her daughter when the news of 'Your daughter actually wants to die' was broken to her. Many of us might not think much of it. However, let me attempt to put things into perspective. Everyone works with a motivation, that motivation is the impetus for every action. For the mother, the motivation of the entire life was to save her daughter, her whole life revolved around that, she was plainly living just for that. Suddenly, upon the breaking of that news, she had to be detached from this primary motivation of her life, to uproot it totally, just to grant the wish of the child, out of her great love as a mother. It is really tough, especially since she has all along been fighting hard to preserve her child's life... Granting this wish of the child, she will also anticipate her child's death, she has alot to lose, but she did it... This, to me, truly shows the ultimate love of a mother, totally selfless, offering her whole life as a sacrifice of love.

Many of us have the perception that by loving someone, we would have to do a whole load of sweet and nice things for them, showering them with this and that. I do see the merits in that. However, the greatest love is, like the mother, is to be able to let go, to be able to just be a supportive figure unconditionally. Ironic as it may sound, hard to continue to show love when the person is dead yea? But, I reckon love transcends the physicalities...and can still persist upon death.

Not all of us face such drastic happenings in our lives, however, I reckon, in every mother lies the element of unconditional love. Sometimes, they have difficulties communicating it, however, that does not suggest its absence. Let us attempt, in our daily lives, to be attentive and appreciative of the mother's love. Gestures that are often taken for granted (a homecooked meal, a neat and clean house) are testament of love and should be carefully savoured.

Food for thought:
A father may turn his back on his child; brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies; husbands may desert their wives and wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all; in good repute, in bad repute, in the face of the world's condemnation, a mother still loves on, and still hopes that her child may turn from his evil ways, and repent; still she remembers the infant smiles that once filled her bosom with rapture, the merry laugh, the joyful shout of his childhood, the opening promise of his youth; and she can never be brought to think him all unworthy.
- Washington Irving