Not everyone’s life is perfect; in fact no one’s life is ever truly perfect. Let me illustrate this with a few snippets from my mother’s – and inevitably from my own – life.
My Beginning
Being a girl born in a traditional household, my birth was not celebrated even though I was the first baby daughter in the entire extended family. However, my unsung birth did not become my identity as the woman who gave birth to me ensured that I was loved and taken care of. Following my mother’s lead, my father too started extending the the love that he had up until then reserved only for my elder brother.
Read: Pakistanis Fed-up Of Child Marriages, Demand To #RaiseTheAge
But this is not my story; not in essence at least. This is the story of my late mother who herself had a very difficult life but who remained a source of love and comfort for anyone who entered her warm embrace.
My Mother’s Tale of Love and Perseverance
My mother was in 10th grade – a mere child – when she was married. She was married at an age when one can’t vote; the age when law does not allow one to drive or hold a National Identity Card because a 15 or 16 year old is considered too young to make important decisions or be able to effectively judge right from wrong. Ironically, when it came to marriage, her family and community did not seem to comprehend the life of endless struggle that they were willingly pushing my mother into as a child bride.
Being truly resilient, she coped with her situation very well. With her selflessness and love she even won over my (initially) disapproving grandmother.
Read: Whispers Of A Broken Heart
For a while there everything was perfect. My mother was my father’s strength; a pillar of support for him and her 5 children. We were the happiest family in the world, gleefully oblivious of the darkness that was about to befall us.
The Beginning of My Mother’s Hardships
Our happy family suddenly spiraled into darkness following the murder of my younger uncle because of personal enmity. He had married twice. His second wife (with whom he had a love marriage) was left financially crippled following his sudden death.
With my mother’s permission, my father married my uncle’s second wife. Many might not be able to comprehend but my mother was actually glad that my father was giving respect and restoring stability in the life of his brother’s wife. My mother, however, put forth one condition: my father would not have children with his second wife as he already had 5 children to fend for and my mother did not want us to suffer. At the time my father readily made the promise but he could not honor his word in the long run.
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Suddenly, we were no longer a united, happy household. Every new day would begin with quarrels. Our stepmother wanted my late uncle’s first wife and children kicked out of the house but my mother acted as a shield to protect the rights of my cousins. She not only treated her own children well but also gave importance and love to my uncle’s children.
As if life was not hard as it was with all the negative energy doing rounds in our house, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She suffered from the disease for 2 years but refused to lose hope, fighting resiliently with the disease.
But luck was seemingly never on her side. Just when surgery and regular medical treatment were indicating towards full recovery, my elder brother passed away following a shootout on the Independence Day.
Years of struggling through the stressful environment at home, fighting cancer and losing her beloved child had all taken a toll on her. Still, for a few months following the death of my brother, mother tried to remain strong for her remaining four children but soon she felt the symptoms of cancer once again.
At this point, perhaps after resigning to fate, my mother sat me down and said, “I fought for you all as best as I could but my time has come, Kainat. Take care of your siblings the way I did and be strong the way I was.”
When She Left…
The lady who was the unifying force for the entire family, who gave just as much love to my cousins as she did to her own children; the lady who was her daughters’ best friend and a source of strength for my father left the mortal world leaving behind a legacy of selflessness. It is perhaps because of this that my father is not the man I’ve known for years. He is now a source of unconditional love for all his children. For us, he has quickly assumed the role of both the mother and the father.
However, what they say is true: there is no substitute for a mother.
Read: Child, Mother & Development
Thus, to all of you reading this, I have but this request: keep your mobile phones and other distractions aside to give time to your mothers. Give them respect, shower them with your love. Be very thankful that you still have your mothers by your side.
And if my readers are women, please embrace your goodness. We have in us the power to overcome every hardship but only a woman of true strength and faith in her own self can understand and exercise this power.
Thanks for giving me opportunity to write for your website….kainat zafar
She has fought many wars, most internal. The ones that you battle alone, for this, she is remarkable. She is a survivor.
She Leave a space which can’t be filled by anything of this world
Leave the memories and words which will motivate you all of your life .
Being a daughter of a brave and such a loving Mother never lose hope and be brave like her.
May her soul rest in peace .
Aameen
She is remarkable woman
Being a daughter of a brave and such a loving Mother never lose hope and be brave like her.
May her soul rest in peace .
Aameen
Being the daughter of sch a brave nd lovely lady never ever lose hope gudae ..may her soul rest in peace ..Ameen
Be happy nd face the hardships of life the way ur mother did ..keep smiling 🙂
Love uh Kainat zafar
Kainat dont loss hope ur mother is a owsome and such a best lady
May her soul rest in peace
(Ameen)
Ur mother is such a best and owsome lady kainat dont loss hope
May her soul rest in peace
Wow
Never lose a hope such a nice woman
Brave ..be like her
And awesome work
Realy its awesome ❤
Wow
Never loss hope
She is remarakble
Brave be like her
Nd awesome work ❤
Wow
Never loss hope…
She is remarakble woman
Brave be like her….
Nd awesome work ❤….
Wow you mother was a great lady may Allah rest her soul in peace 😊
Wow your mother was a great lady may Allah rest her soul in peace ameen 😊
Such a magnanimous struggle
being a student its a splendid article
keep it up
Never give up
keep it up till last drop of agony
Such a magnanimous struggle
A bunch of flower to your splendid article and holy work
You have to keep it up really i am impressed and motivate with you soon i will tag an article here
IN SHA ALLAH
A bunch of flower to your splendid article and holy work
You have to keep it up really i am impressed and motivate with you soon i will tag an article here
IN SHA ALLAH
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