By Rouba Chbeir - Different continents and states celebrate the Mother's Day on distinct dates, but one thing these carry in common are the loveliest posts and pictures on all social media platforms, in which everyone is thankful and grateful to have a super-mom as amazing as his/her own.
Moms are for the world, not entitled for individuals
The month of March is almost universal, in its celebrations of Mother’s Day.
Different continents and states celebrate the special day on distinct dates, but one thing these carry in common are the loveliest posts and pictures on all social media platforms, in which everyone is thankful and grateful to have a super-mom as amazing as his/her own.
March 21st, the beginning of spring season in Lebanon, is the date we Lebanese celebrate Mother’s Day. Traditionally, since I have been away from home for a while now, I send my mum a very special, hand-made Mother’s Day Card by post, knowing in advance that no matter how early I send it, she will still get it late! I usually also find a very special video or song that expresses best my sincere reflections for the occasion, and send it her way via WhatsAp.
This year, today particularly, when I opened my Facebook profile, my homepage and newsfeed were flooded with pictures and captions of mother-and-daughters, sons, and/or flowers, etc., you get the picture.
On the counterpart, for the past 3years and very much lately, my profile had witnessed a traffic of statuses published by close friends and acquaintances, who had/have lost their mothers this month, or a while back. This year, I particularly felt a dark cloud loom over my Facebook profile, my heart, and my mind on this 2015 Mother’s Day, and I’d like you loyal readers to meet these friends of mine.
It felt horrible realizing that so many people around me have lost their sacred support- their Mother; the thought of it for a fraction of a second makes me go bonkers.
My first friend Fifa has just lost her mother for a restless battle with cancer only 2 days before this Mother’s Day, and since, she posts “this storm shall also pass”, & “God, surround us by our loved ones when we are too tired to pray and too pessimistic to believe”;
second, there’s my Viviane, she is also from Lebanon, and had lost her mom 2.5years ago now, but every time I check her timeline, I see pictures of her twin- her mother- and captions of leaving their family “too early and too young”, all of which just cut straight through my heart every single time.
Thirdly, I’d like you to meet my Rita, who had a most interesting, yet simultaneously heart-breaking post today for our Mother’s Day; she had never known both her biological parents for 22 years now, and so was raised by two amazingly-beautiful souls. For mother’s day today, she addresses the post to both her mums; she adoringly tells her biological mum “[…] you’re still a big part of me and I love you, and I hope I’m making you proud”, and then she refers to her non-biological mum as the woman who “never let me need a thing and raising me with unconditional and endless love”.
Fourth comes my dearest Lea, who lost her mom for a malignant sickness as well in 2010; her posts talk of “you give me the power, my angel” and “I know you are watching over me every second of every day”.
Fifth is my Mona, who was too young to remember the passing-away of her mom for an unfortunate accident, but whose elder sister literally raised her, overprotected her, and overwhelms her with the warmth and passion of all moms in the world to this date.
Sixth and lastly, is an Alissa whom I recently met here in the UK; she’s someone I have immediately come to view as a mentor and my inspirational figure because she left an impression of a very strong, determined young woman who’s driven by all the self-confidence and determination a superhero can have. Yet, shortly later, by coincidence, I discover that she was raised by multiple foster homes and hadn’t the childhood every child is supposed to get, by default.
On this Mother’s Day, Fifa, Viviane, Rita, Lea, Mona, and Alissa, and all of you friends, students, and/or teachers out there who have lost a Mum, I shall tell you one thing your posts and tweets have made me realise and reflect upon:
You girls, have the most to celebrate today, on Mother’s Day, because Moms are for the World, and not entitled for some individuals over others; and if you have lost her next to you, we have lost her to the World, and the proof is:
Imagine a world, our today, where the fear, sixth sense, affection, warmth, intuition, influence, advice, and love of a Mum are all non-existent in their children’s lives…; that is, imagine all these absent from the lives of our politicians, economists, journalists, doctors, engineers, architects, artists, students, coaches...
I implore you to look around you and simply observe how many moms and mom-like, beautiful figures you now have surrounding you.
A Mum is a feeling, and bearing that in our hearts, is our true Mother’s Day, every Day.
Sincerely Yours,
Rouba M. Chbeir
MSc. Financial Management