Sunday, May 03, 2009

5 Things I love...

... about being a mom.

That's the topic Subhashree passed on to me via HBM.

A sweet topic. I have to just shut my eyes and open my heart and let the words flow... Oh wait. I have to keep my eyes open - touch typing is not a skill I have mastered so far.

So, What am I learning from being a mom?

  1. I love that Motherhood, like Wisdom, just dawns on you one fine morning when you gaze into the eyes of your little ones and wonder how you got so lucky. No amount of collective knowledge on the subject can impart even a fraction of what it involves, the array of feelings evoked - of deep love, responsibility, tenderness, even pride - like never before, like nothing else can. A true blessing

  2. I love that it has helped me find out that while my legendary short-temper and impatience have not fled, Motherhood has certainly made me a better person to be around and get to know, while at the same time reeling back in awe at my parents, grateful for being born to them. I complain less, appreciate things more, and put myself last without a second thought. It is very humbling. Not just in a material sense, but in a spiritual sense as well. I don't care about keeping my wardrobe fashionable or sporting a trendy hairstyle... and I seem to gravitate towards uttering prayers more often for their well-being

  3. The tinkling of Ana's anklets and thumping of Oggie's footsteps as they squeal and jostle each other around the house is something I could not have dreamed of four years ago... and is something that I certainly cannot imagine my life without now. Kissing baby Ana's chubby little cheeks, hugging her tight when she feels upset, cuddling little Oggie's tiny body as he settles down next to me at nights, singing 'Yucky Mucky Nappy' to get Ana to smile and going 'Aaa-Chooooo!' till my throat hurts just so I can watch Oggie's precious giggle...

  4. Knowing that love is not just indulgence and mollycoddling, nicety and tra-la-la, but is also firmness and discipline, learning to say "no" and sticking to it even if your heart is bursting to say "yes" to keep them happy... to see past the gut-wrenching sobs and never-ending tears and know that you are doing right by them

  5. The spiritual growth that has happened unbeknownst to me where I can appreciate a Zen moment with a screaming one year old attached to a leg and a whiny four year old hanging on to my shirt while I am cooking a sumptuous meal and talking on the phone across continents to my mother in India getting a recipe for home herbal concoction I could offer the kids to alleviate their cough


image source:http://nri-shakti.com/images/YashodaKrishna.gif
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you, but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.


You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.


You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backwards nor tarries with yesterday.

-- Kahlil Gibran

This is technically a tag, and that means I should pass it on to others - but, the tiny little community of moms I know in the blog world have all been tagged with this already. So, am leaving it open for anybody to take it up and write as many posts they'd like about this sweet topic.

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9 Comments:

At 7:44 PM, Blogger Tharini said...

Lovely-ly done Sheels! I love your voice, in your words.

 
At 3:04 AM, Blogger Sunita Venkatachalam said...

Lovely lovely , gave me the goosebumps it did.

 
At 8:42 AM, Blogger IBH said...

Beautifully written Sheela...i liked the second and the fourth point!

I have a blown up pic of Yashodara Krishna..and my daughter loves it...

 
At 7:52 PM, Blogger Sheela said...

Thank you, Tharini, good to see you here.

Thank you, Poppins... like Poppin's family portrait :)

Thank you, IBH, the classic images of Krishna with Yashoda are just too beautiful for words, aren't they? Many are by unknown/unsung artists - imagining their inspiration for such beauty gives me goosebumps!

 
At 11:11 AM, Blogger Subhashree said...

Lovely post Sheela. Beautiful. A lovely pic to supplement the tag :)

 
At 2:04 AM, Blogger Jaya P said...

amazing post. you have painted such an inspiring picture of the day-to-day ins and outs of motherhood.

 
At 8:50 AM, Blogger Sree said...

Awesome. It was like reading my own thoughts. Mother of a 21yr old, alwasy felt guilty leaving the lil one at the day care. But you are right, it takes a vilage to raise a kid, and village now is the daycare. hanks for sharing these wonderful thoughts.

 
At 3:09 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Sheela
I bumped into your blog quite accidently and i love such accidents!
I love what you written, not only because its exactly how i feel but because i would have loved to express myself so wonderfully. This post of yours is almost 2 years old but i happen to be a new mother (of an almost-two yr old) and hence its relevant....
Once again love your words...
shruti

 
At 8:46 AM, Blogger Sheela said...

Subha: Thank you!

Jaya Pratheesh: Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

Sree: You are right... something about our social structure feels out of alignment. It cannot be right that we have to ship our kids off in someone's care, not because we want to but because how else can we afford roof over our heads and food on the table, right?

Shruthi: Wonderful to hear from you. Enjoy those lovely mommy moments. Guilt-free if at all possible :)

 

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