Dear Ma,
On this teacher’s day, when the whole country will be thanking their teachers from schools and colleges on Facebook, I would like to send the thank you note to my first and the greatest teacher ever – You.
As a young woman, who had just gotten married and had a kid, you would have never imagined that you would have to do it all alone. You would have always assumed that your soulmate and my Papa, will be by your side forever. But, hardly we knew that destiny had different plans. Tragedy struck and you found yourself doing it all alone.
I can’t even imagine how much strength you would have gathered to accept Papa’s untimely death. On my 1st birthday, we couldn’t have imagined that it’ll be my last birthday we celebrated together.
Ma, it is impossible to put into words everything that I have learned from you and how much you have done for me in the last 30 years. But, through this letter, I will give it a try.
The 1st life lesson that I learned from you:
Never give up on yourself even when the times get really hard
I can only imagine how hard would it have been for you to leave me at Nana-Nani’s place and move to Delhi because you wanted to really get a job – you really wanted to give me a better life. You wanted to give me my chance that God snatched away from me.
God might have given up on us but you didn’t.
And, after 8 months of your relentless effort, you got your first job at the design firm. People who had given up on us realized it after 30 years of your glorious career that they were so wrong.
The 2nd life lesson that I learned from you:
It’s not the easier path but the right path that we should choose
After Papa left us, it would have been so natural to accept financial help from Nana-Nani or get re-married as that would have given us quick financial stability. But, you rejected both the natural and relatively easier options for the right but a difficult path.
The path to raising me all alone.
Because of your decision, I learned that when we take the right path – we earn respect and make our life happy.
The 3rd life lesson that I learned from you:
It’s always about the values and not the money
I still remember how you turned down the job opportunity, where they promised you a double salary with just one condition – that you had to get your existing clients to the new company.
Given the conditions we were in; it would have been a no-brainer to take up the new job. Anyone in our situation wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But, you made sure that you model the best behavior of honesty and professionalism not only for me but for your team too.
The 4th life lesson that I learned from you:
We need to start believing in our dreams before others can believe in them
I still remember the moment when Mama told me to prepare for CA as we didn’t have enough money to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor. During that moment, I gave up on my dream as I knew about how expensive the coaching fee was. And how it’ll be nearly impossible for us to afford it.
But you still went ahead and made arrangements for me to study Medical. I can never forget what you told me that day –
“Beta, jab hum khud apne sapno mein viswaas nahi karenge toh aur kaun karega?”
(Kid, if we will not believe in our own dreams, then who else will)
And, today when I see myself in the mirror wearing the white Doctor’s coat, it’s not just my hard work that I see. I see your determination and your trust.
The 5th life lesson that I learned from you:
Life might give you lemons, but you make sure that you serve the best lemonade
I have met people who have been raised by single mothers. Most of them believe their life could have been much better if they would have been raised by their dads. But ma, believe me, I’ve never ever had that thought once in my life.
I do miss Papa. I miss having him around.
But, as far as life is concerned I know it gave us lemons, but you made sure that we served the best lemonade to this world – that we offered the best of ourselves to this world in any condition.
Also Read: Dear Parents – Am A Wife But That Doesn’t Mean Am Not A Daughter
Mom,
Thanks for being the strongest woman I know. There are moments when I wish I had half the strength you have. You are the most amazing person I know, and I feel so proud to learn about life from you.
Thank you for making me believe in my dreams and those delicious aloo parathas. Thank you, Mom, for being you!
Yours,
Dr. Bitiya
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of I for Her. Authors are responsible for any omissions or errors. And, I for Her does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.
