Tomorrow, a number of people from different countries would celebrate mothers on the same day. Here in Australia, as well as the US, South Africa, and the Philippines (to name a few), mothers get to take centre stage.
And, I would like to mark this day to celebrate* my mom and being a mum.
Yes, I have a mom and my kids have a mum.
For someone like me who was raised with American English spelling conventions, and had to adjust when I started living in countries with British English spelling conventions (especially since I’m married to an Englishman and living in Australia!), this whole mom/mum thing can be a bit crazy. But, regardless of the spellings, the sentiments are the same: Motherhood is worth celebrating.
Since I can’t take my mom out nor spend any time with her in person, as we’re living in different countries, I thought that the next best thing I can do is to dedicate this blog post to her – and donate to the 38 for my 38th birthday campaign in her honour.
Being the eldest in the family, my birthday marks my mom’s entry in motherhood. And, when I first sent out a call for supporters for my birthday campaign, she was one of the first to respond. She wanted to participate and so she asked for my help in order for her to contribute, as she’s not really too familiar with online payments. Her intention to help inspired me to donate in her name.
This whole “giving back” scenario also reminded me of one of our recent talks. One evening, while I was on a business trip to Manila and hanging out with my mom and sister at a local Starbucks, we got in to the conversation of what social responsibility meant for us.
It was then that my mom said that one of her dreams was to set up some kind of a scholarship for well deserving youths. Perhaps, start off by helping at least one person to have a good education.
My mom, you see, has always believed that a good education is one of the best ways to help society. Coming from an impoverished background, education became their ticket out of poverty. It was definitely one of our parents’ gift to us. That’s why education is something that I also place a high value on.
Having been known to attempt to fulfill my mom’s dreams for herself, her wish for an academic scholarship is something that I have been thinking about since that evening. I’m not sure yet what’s the best way to do it. One day, I hope to be able to figure something out and extend that as a gift to her.
For now, I’ve just started by fundraising for charity:water, so we can help some people get basic necessities. And, I’ll be on the hunt for a project that will enable my mom’s dream for an academic scholarship to come true.
So yes, for all you’ve done – and all your dreams – thank you. And thanks for being a great lola to my kids. I wish you a very happy mother’s day, mom.
And, for my other mum who’s living in South Africa, thank you for being the best mother-in-law and grandma. Wishing you a happy mother’s day too.
To all my fellow mothers: May your day be full of joy and celebration. Have a wonderful mother’s day!
Disclosure: *Celebrating this year’s mother’s day is a bit of a mix for me. Just getting out of a challenging week (more on this another day), plus tomorrow (yes, 13 May), is my dad’s fourth year death anniversary. It’s always a bit of an emotional day at this time of the year. But, right now, I’m hoping to focus on the joy of what we still have rather than what we have lost.
