Day 28 in A Month of Gratitude, #AMOG, and today I am #grateful for my #Mother aka Ma. My mother was born in Singapore in 1941, and left shortly thereafter for the Punjab, to hide out in her father's village, Mugal Chakh, during WW2 with her mother and brothers and cousins. Once the war was over, they returned to Singapore, and began their formal schooling. My uncles went to ACS and then to the University of Malaya in Singapore. My mother went to RGS and then went to Teacher's Training College (TTC) in Singapore. My father, from KL, and my uncle were uni mates, studying History, and that's how he met my mother and romance blossomed.
My mother graduated from TTC at the age of 19, got married, and left for Malaysia with my father, where she taught in schools in KL and Penang. Eventually, she returned to Singapore with us for a few years, and I remember her zipping about in her jaunty Datsun, attending meetings at the Istana to organise fund raisers for Children's Charities, and being the life of the party wherever she went.
My mother's cooking is legendary. Her curries are especially a delight, and anybody who has eaten her cooking never forgets it. Her hospitality and generosity of spirit are such that anyone who visited us was often back again. Dinners with her famed mutton curry, chicken curry, mixed veggie masala, dhal, salads, vadais in yogurt, chapatis... all lovingly made by her, have fed many who came through our doors, and it was all washed down afterwards with her milky, spicy masala tea.
My mother has a witty sense of humour, and a way with words. Her old school style of writing, and in perfect cursive script, belies her schooling, when English was taught grammatically, and handwriting reflected personality and character. She speaks multiple languages fluently, and has a warbling soprano that reminds me of a nightingale. She loves God with all her heart and graduated from Bible School at 62 years, so she could be a better equipped missionary in Nepal, having braved the jungles and wild boars of Borneo years before on mission trips. Her faith has sustained her throughout her life, and she has a fierce love for God.
She taught me to swim when I was tiny, at the Singapore Swimming Club, where we swam on Saturdays after watching Sesame Street and munching chicken wings at home. She was a pioneer in her own way, boldly blazing a trail where many women had not yet gone. As a trainee teacher, she went on swimming trips to the coast and islands with colleagues, returning late and causing her father so much concern that he almost called the police once. She is, in my opinion, a beautiful soul ahead of her time.
Her strength and courage in facing life's struggles and challenges have inspired me. It was really only after having my own children that I really appreciated what it meant to be a mother, and how much I loved my own mother, and the great debt that I owed her. And how many times I had unknowingly broken her heart just by being insensitive and uncaring. She did so much for us, on her own, and for her many sacrifices and her unconditional love I shall always remain grateful.
My Ma turns 80 in January, and we had hoped to gather in KL to celebrate this milestone. It looks like we might not make it. I miss her laughter, her hugs, her chats and her cheery outlook on everything despite her difficulties. I can't wait to see her again and bask in her love and affection and love her back in person. I miss you, Ma. Stay well and stay safe, and see you soon. We live in hope! ❤
Pix of Ma at age 19. Graduated, Married.
#AMOG #AMonthOfGratitude #GratefulForMother #Ma #UnconditionalLove #Teacher #Linguist #Songbird #Legendary #Hospitality #Generosity #GreatCook #BeautifulSoul #Cheerful #Witty #Strength #Courage #Sacrificial #Hugs #AheadOfHerTime #RGS #TTC #BestMaEver #IMadeItThroughDayTwentyEight
Thanks for reading,
Pav
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