“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed;
Proverbs 31:25-28
Although it may seem logically paradoxical, there’s a timeless wisdom nestled within the saying: “God couldn’t be everywhere, so He created mothers.” Beneath its poetic surface lies a profound truth—an acknowledgment of the boundless love, care, and presence that mothers bring into our lives. In that single thought exists an entire universe of meaning, compassion, and grace.
That early morning the phone wouldn’t stop ringing and these out of normal hour calls always gives me jitters. I picked it up, tensed my heart already sinking. It was my relative on the other end, his voice shaken. He told me my mother’s condition had turned critical — she could go at any moment. He urged me to come to Goa immediately.
Without wasting a second, my wife and myself booked the first flight out that evening. But fate had its own plans. We missed our connecting flight in Mumbai, and what should have been a morning arrival turned into an agonizing delay — we finally reached Goa in the late afternoon. Every minute felt like a lifetime.
The whole time, I kept calling, hoping for an update, some sliver of good news. But all I was told was that she had been in a coma for a week. No signs of improvement. No change. Just a fragile thread holding her to this world.
And then, as we stepped into the house — exhausted, anxious, desperate — something unimaginable happened. She opened her eyes. Just for a moment. She looked straight at me, with a stream of tears running down her cheek. And then next, in a split of a second…… she was gone!!!
In that fleeting second, it was as if she had been holding on—just for me. Her eyes, tired yet full of something eternal, met mine one last time, like her soul needed that final glimpse before letting go. I stood there, powerless, watching the most important person in my world slip away. I would’ve given anything—my breath, my years, the whole world—just to keep her a moment longer. But none of it mattered now. That was it. One breath, and everything changed. The universe around me cracked open, and something inside me shattered in a way that would never heal.
Mother’s Day as it is celebrated internationally on 11th May every year is more than a date on the calendar. It’s a pause, a breath, a moment to reflect on the one soul who has loved us with a fierce, unconditional love from the very beginning — our mother.
From the first heartbeat we ever heard, long before we even knew the world, she was there. Her arms became our first home, her voice our first melody, and her love the first thing we ever truly felt. She carried us before we could carry ourselves. And even now, no matter how far we’ve grown or how old we become, her love continues to wrap around us like a warm, invisible blanket.
No matter how skilled a cook your wife may be, no gourmet meal can quite match the warmth of your mother’s simplest dish. It’s not just the taste — it’s the memory, the love, the comfort stirred into every bite.
A mother sacrifices more than we’ll ever fully know. The sleepless nights, the quiet worries, the dreams put on hold so ours could be born. She cheered the loudest when we won, and she held us closest when we fell. She believed in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves. Her love doesn’t demand anything in return — it simply gives endlessly.
But often, we forget to thank her. Life moves quickly. We grow up. We get busy. We assume she knows. But today, on Mother’s Day, this year, let us stop. Let us remember. Let us feel.
If your mother is still with you, hold her a little closer today. Call her. Sit with her. Listen — not just to her words, but to her heart. Don’t wait for a “right time” to tell her you love her. That time is now. Every moment you get with her is a gift that not everyone still has. I know that all too well. She may not always say it, but she notices when you show up. She feels your love in the smallest gestures — a warm hug, a shared cup of tea, a random phone call just to ask how her day was. You don’t need grand things. She never wanted them. What she wants is you — your time, your presence, your attention.
Some of us, including me, no longer have our mothers here with us. Ask us who have lost them. The ache of their absence grows a little heavier on days like today. So many of us carry the silent ache of losing our mothers. The things we didn’t say. The time we thought we had. The moments we took for granted. For me, I miss the unwavering discipline of my mother—how even her silence spoke volumes. Her steady rules felt rigid then, but now I see they shaped the strength I carry today. If you’re lucky enough to still have her in your life, please — don’t wait. Love her. Cherish her. Be there for her. Because one day, all that’s left will be memories — and the hope that she always knew just how deeply she was loved.
Mother’s Day is not just a celebration of one woman — it’s a tribute to the quiet strength of motherhood itself. To grandmothers, aunts, stepmothers, mothers-in-law, foster mothers, and mother figures — you are the unsung HEROES of our lives. You are the heartbeats that keep families together.
Happy Mother’s Day — today and always.
– Agnelo A. S. Fernandes
(Ward 12)