Remembering my mother

On this Mother’s Day, I share a tribute to my own mother, by recollecting a few notes from my homily for my mother's funeral on April 27, 2010: “When I look at the 81 years my mother lived through, by far the most impressive value that strikes me in her is that of sacrifice. The ongoing sacrifice to make sure that her children and her grandchildren never be denied of anything, as well as the physical suffering she endured towards the end of her life. During her childhood, she remembers the sacrifice they endured during World War II, and since she was the oldest of her siblings, she was always trusted with greater responsibilities with her brothers and sister, something which helped her mature at a very young age. Then there was the ongoing sacrifice she endured with our father in our regard, something which we may not have appreciated at first, but we all know it was sincere and authentic. But the sacrifice that stands out the most is the fact that she did everything possible to see us happy and content.

My mother creating another lace masterpiece

Those who knew my mother up close and personal knew how busy, productive and industrious she was all through her life in whatever work she put her mind into. Even at the age of 65 and 70, when most people retire and prefer to take life a little easier, she started to take classes in lace-making, and I can tell you that every piece she crafted was a masterpiece, working with those bobbins on the trajbu, pinning needles at strategic places to keep the lace in place. 

Here's a finished piece of lace and the 'trajbu'

My mother (and father) grew up without computers, without cell-phones, without the Internet, without Colleges or Universities, and even without a car all through their life. But they had values that are hard to find in many parents nowadays. They learned the value of forgiveness and spread a message of compassion; they learned the value of gentleness and spread a message of respect; they learned the value of appreciation and spread a message of gratitude; they learned the value of cooperation and spread the message of patience; they learned the value of sacrifice and taught us to love all that is simple.