THE GOLDEN WALK OF HER LIFE

HALF SCORE AND ONE

If she was an ardent believer of horoscope then I could have begun by describing how an Aries woman is, but she is not, so let me quote a line which is popular among men, ‘If you want to know what your woman will look like in 20 years, look at her mom.’ If they trust this line then they will be heavily disappointed, I will not be able to look as awesome as my mother with all the harsh sunrays kissing me, financial tensions, pressure of all kinds and, of course, the paramount pain of bringing up four children with different temperaments plus a husband who have his own ways of doing things.

FRILLS OF COMPASSION

Growing up with a woman who is as compassionate as her was never easy. At the stroke of midnight if someone calls for help then she will be the first one to stretch her hands. As a kid I remember the number of Horlicks bottle(s) I had to carry when that ‘uncle was sick, this aunt was hospitalised'. We use to call her ‘Mother Teresa’, it was rude, though, for which we were rebuked. I have to tell you that she has a huge heart, so huge the whole word can fit in. Once when our aged gardener expired, the whole night she made wreaths after wreaths with swollen eyes, she had an option of buying the wreath but no it was her way of paying respect to the person who had served us with loyalty. People who are close to our family often remarks, ‘Your children have inherited the sense of humour from your husband and the spirit of compassion from you.’ P.S. She does not get sarcasm; it is always a pain to explain jokes to her.

THE CONSTANT GARDENER

I hope the title is not patented by John le Carré. I am yet to meet the person who loves gardening as much as her.  Her knowledge of gardening is impressive, she knows almost all the flower’s name, grass and tree included. Which plant is best suitable for which climate and the significance of each flower. She can easily distinguish between perennial and seasonal flowers. If people were flowers then my mom might have choose for me the forever kind of friends, how I wish.  

THE EVENT DECORATER  

Way back in the mid-1990s when there was no concept of ‘wedding planner’ in Nagaland, she uses to make flowers from tissue papers, paint dry flowers, make the most attractive of flowers from chart papers just to make someone’s wedding grand. Trust me, she did not  charge even a cent to couples who were from modest families. Her huge collection of flowers were often borrowed from various Church services, funerals, birthday parties, bureaucratic parties-luncheons.  The way she decorated the flowers became quite popular among a certain set of ladies who in turn carried the message forward, she shined and she deserved it. Now, she does not involve actively as before, but sure she lends her flowers at an extremely reasonable rate.

VERACIOUS READER

She used to read a lot but now due to her growing eye weakness, she has become selective and often confines herself to newspapers. It was her idea to have a home library. She was the first person who taught me to love books, also the first person who encouraged me to develop an everlasting friendship with books. She warned me that a day is not well spent until and unless one reads, at least, a page from a book can be from a Bible or anything that’s worth reading. Thus, in solitude, I found the best of the company, thanks to her.

SHE IS MY MOTHER

I could have written paragraph after paragraph about her, like she is a fashion expert, an amazing cook, a woman of faith grounded on Christian spirituality, she is a daughter, a sister, a wife etc, but I do not think she will be interested to know so much about her, and it might be straining for the readers, least they end up screaming ‘Crony Post!’ Anyway, in short let me end by saying, I know her as my mother and I am blessed to be born from her heart.