Mamma Mia!

IMAGINE CARRYING around a 10lb bag of rice (you know the ones) in your hands for a very long time, and think about the strain on your back and shoulders. Now, imagine walking around with that bag of rice inside your body.

Then, imagine having to give birth to said bag of rice and having to love, nurture and take care of it unconditionally for the rest of your life and, voila! You have what is described as the blessing of motherhood.

Now, maybe children are not exactly comparable to bags of rice, but being a mother is not comparable to any other kind of experience. So, in a way, I guess the analogy does work.

In all seriousness, being a mother is a truly special experience, and the really good ones relish the responsibility that comes with caring for a child. Mothers represent a safe place for their children from the moment they are conceived.

Housing a human being within your body and sharing quite literally the most intimate parts of yourself with your child is a job only a mother could do, and mothers do not just stop there. After sharing all of that with a child, when they are born, they continue to give of themselves, never hesitating to sacrifice and suffer for the sake of their children.

They do not do it for the plaudits, they do not do it for the recognition, they do it because they understand how the love of a mother can change a child’s life.

However, even though they did not ask, we will take this moment to give them their flowers while they can still appreciate the beauty of the petals.

Our women are so vital to the development of the next generation, and that fact makes the recently publicised cases of violence against them even more despicable.

As we celebrate our mothers this Mothers’ Day, use a moment to be grateful if you still have your mother in your life, and then use another to consider those who are not as lucky.

For those of us who might be missing our mothers a little extra this time of year, take solace in the truth that you are her living, breathing legacy, and live a life that pays homage to that reality.

Happy Mother’s Day to Jamaica’s mothers!