My mother is the ground I step on.
I take her for granted. I throw tantrums. I get angry. I slam the door. I scream. Sometimes I fail to apologise for the things I’ve done wrong.
It’s not just me. My mum is often taken for granted by everyone else in her life – her selflessness and niceness are her weakness.
Some people will take advantage of her kindness. Sometimes I feel like I’m the mum, trying to stand up for her whenever other people make her the scapegoat or try to cheat her money.
Yet my mum remains unaffected. Even if I throw a tantrum, even if others scream at her, even when life is going haywire, she remains calm, composed, solid. It seems like she’s being trampled under the feet of those who cross her path – but somehow, she’s no doormat.
My mother is the ground I stand on.
She’s the hard ground beneath, sturdy and absolutely strong, weathering all sorts of ridiculous conditions. We know that should she crumble, everything else will go down with her. She’s the foundation of my family. She’s the basis on which everything else is built.
She gives life and multiplies whatever is handed to her. She is given a house and she returns a home. She is given a marriage and returns a family. She is given love and returns complete, utter devotion and dedication.
We viewed her as our everything when we were growing up, but now from the ivory tower which she had to build for us by breaking herself, in our clouded vision, we’ve failed to notice how she’s faring. We only notice her when her strong front starts to break down. Only when we start falling into potholes do we realise that it’s really just quicksand holding us up.
She is given a house and she returns a home. She is given a marriage and returns a family.
Her life has been a cycle where she is constantly, consistently broken down and rebuilt to give life – at her own expense.
She accepts and forgives the hurts inflicted on her, suppresses the cracks that time has left on her. It’s like cement concealing loose soil. When you walk, you don’t think about the ground you’re stepping on – but maybe we should.
Have you been taking for granted the ground you walk and built your life on? Have you expected it to be there rain or shine – not realising it’s been there for you though it never needed to be?
That’s what mothers do. That’s what my mum does. It’s who she is.
So I’ve learnt to protect, cherish and appreciate the ground that’s supported me, and continues to do so, and will continue to do so as long as it conceivably can. I used to think that she’d always be there – but I know nothing lasts forever.
This is what I’ve learnt from her, which will live on even when she’s gone. I’ve learnt that true love is laying down your life to serve and to give life to everyone around you.
My mother is the ground I build on.