A mother – a very special person

I take this opportunity to extend very best wishes to all the mothers of St Vincent and the Grenadines, the Caribbean and the world, on the occasion of Mother’s Day, to be celebrated in our country this Sunday, but celebrated on other dates in different countries. The date matters not for such a fundamental occasion, as indeed, it does not for other occasions we hold dear to our hearts; it is the essence that matters.

As I do so, I must confess that even for one who considers himself a devoted son like I do, this year I almost forgot the date of her passing, May 2, 2018, a date that on behalf of my siblings, I usually place at least an IN MEMORIAM in SEARCHLIGHT newspaper and regularly make some appropriate comment in this weekly column. When reminded by my sister, I felt guilty like one of those people to whom Sparrow referred in his immortal comment on Mother’s Day, but surely, I can’t be that bad. It must be advancing age, I console myself in saying. Fortunately, Mother’s Day has cropped up, giving me a chance to redeem myself with tribute to the unforgettable Germaine Rose, a real Mother, par excellence.

Before I turn to her and her many attributes, I can’t help but ask my readers not only to honour their mothers on this great occasion, but to spare even a moment to reflect on the hundreds of millions of mothers all over the world who are in no position to enjoy Mother’s Day.

Even as we cherish our own mothers, think of the unfortunate mothers of Palestine, Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti and so many other places in this world, who cannot even contemplate Mother’s Day, some having seen their precious children bombed into non-human existence by the actions of greedy and uncaring fathers, fathers whose professed love for their own children does not extend to the children of other people.

What can “Happy Mother’s Day” mean to a mother in Haiti seeing her suffering children around her riddled by gunfire as much as poverty? What can it mean to the mothers in Palestine, dead children in arms, driven from pillar to post in the face of the worst genocide since the second World War? How can mothers in Sudan, seeing their precious offspring racked by hunger, disease and pestilence, even begin to appreciate a greeting – from their dead and dying sons and daughters?

Please, as we cherish our own mothers, let us spare a thought at least, offer a prayer and extend some solidarity to these unfortunate mothers. There is room in our hearts for this solidarity along with appreciation of our own dear mothers.

That element of human solidarity was infused in me by my own mother. I remember her vividly, on receiving the love and greetings from her precious children, always reminding us of the children whose mothers were absent on such an occasion for one reason or another. For her, it was not just some thought, her very life was a practical manifestation of that solidarity. Many were the Mothers’ Days when she mothered children in her own family, their mothers not even visiting them on such an occasion.

It would be good therefore to extend our thoughts to those children whose mothers, especially young mothers, have little sense of love and caring as to appreciate what Mother’s Day should mean and the importance of a mother’s love. That void is contributing to many of our social ills especially crime and violence, and we must not only be aware of it but strive to contribute towards remedying it for the good of us all.

It is one of the lasting memories that will remain with me, and, I am sure, my siblings, as we think of our departed mom on this occasion. Hers was an unforgettable, practical experience which combined her lifetime devotion to the welfare of children, as manifested by her emphasis on early childhood education, with concern about family life and the welfare of young mothers.

Her Mother’s Day commitment went far beyond receiving the love of her children, she insisted that as a society there should be a shared expression of that love through some formal recognition of it. That drove her to pioneer an annual Mother’s Day brunch, via the YWCA, through which children could express their appreciation for their mothers, who themselves would have an occasion to appreciate this manifestation, as well as to interact with other mothers.

While appreciating her commitment, I am sure that her offspring must have wondered on more than one occasion if she were not carrying this too far. By the time the Mother’s Day event was over, she was too exhausted by her efforts to even enjoy the rest of the day. But for her, the greatest enjoyment was to get mothers and offspring together on such an occasion.

As I reflect on Mother’s Day, and the void of my mother’s absence engulfs, I get comforted by these thoughts, by her practical manifestation of the Christian spirit and concern for both the future of humankind as well as its well-being in the present. Let us make Mother’s Day more than just a day of love, gifts and appreciation to our own mothers, but at least spare some positive thought for the mothers and children of this world.

For this, I express my eternal gratitude to Germaine “Granny” Rose. May she rest in peace while her ideas live on!