Dear Mom, A letter from my Teenage self

 I had that phase where I would just put on my earphones & literally not talk to anyone.Being lost in my little world either reading or listening to music. My raging hormones would make me backfire at my mom’s most simple questions like “When will you be back home?” or “Where are you going?” or “Nida, come down for dinner”. Now when I am a mom, the tables have turned!
Also, read my post “10 things I could teach my younger self. 

 I thought what better way to celebrate it than to actually write a letter to my mom. She’s in Pakistan & I am in Canada, literally so far away. Obviously, there is no doubt that whoever I am today is only & only because of her never ending faith, support & unconditional love.  Parents are such a blessing, May Allah Bless them & give them a long life. Ameen.

Life doesn’t come with a Manual, it comes with a Mother.

Dear Ammi (Mom),

I really wish I was there by your side today to hug you, kiss you & basically bug you :). But there are certain things that I should share. After having my daughter, I have a better understanding of what you went through.  Taking care of three daughters must not have been easy. I know I wasn’t an easy child during my teenage years but you gave me the space to grow & understand what’s going on around me. Today I want to tell you two things, how thankful I am for all that you have done & how sorry I am for every-time I didn’t listen to you or answered you back. 

Sorry: 
I think naturally we start taking our mothers for granted because we know deep down that Mother’s will always be there no matter what, they will always have our back & they will always be our biggest fan. 

• I am sorry for being a brat at times & taking out my negative emotions on you. You didn’t deserve them at all & you loved me regardless.
• I am sorry for still losing my cool while talking to you but I promise I will try to improve that.
• I am sorry for hurting your feelings if I ever did (I probably did) 
• I am sorry for all the sleepless nights, now I know how important sleep is *sigh.

Thank You: 
I don’t think so a Thank You can do justice for all that you have done for us but yes I want you to know that we acknowledge it & really really appreciate it from the bottom of our heart. In our day to day lives, we normally don’t share these things so I would take advantage of Mother’s Day & share it with you.

• Thank you for always listening: I still remember coming back from school & sharing the whole day with you while eating lunch. I was a non-stop chatterbox & you would listen to all stories related to my friends, teachers & what not.
• Thank you for being a practicing Muslim: this has impacted my life so much. A daughter looks up to her mother & I have the most beautiful memories of my childhood with you, which includes sitting in your lap while you were praying. I pray & hope to have the same relationship with my daughter.
• Thank you for being so Patient: I admire your strength & patience. You have always shown us by an example of what a strong woman is. Day & night I have seen you balance work & home without complaining.
• Thank you for putting us first: With your Master’s degree & a great job I knew that you were ambitious but you paused it all till we were school-going. I understand how hard it must have been. because that’s exactly what I have to do now to give the best to my daughter.
• Thank you for being your best self:  I have never seen you talk about anybody behind their back or discuss what’s going on in other people’s life. This has taught us to mind our own business & talk only when you have something valuable to say.
• Thank you for always believing in me. In university days my stress-level used to be extremely high before going for an exam but every single time you would say Don’t worry you will do great & even if you don’t it’s not the end of the world. You knew how strict I was with myself & you gave me that leverage that it’s okay if I don’t get a certain grade.
• Thank you for always giving me the best advice & not giving up on me. 
• Thank you for being my mom! I love you. 

God’s love can be seen in a Mother’s reflection.

If you want to see the purest & sheer form of love, you must look into your mother’s eyes & If you want to feel eternal bliss, listen to her voice.  Sometimes I call her just to listen to her voice & Just by listening to her voice, half of my problems fade away. We need to spoil & celebrate our Mother’s daily, they deserve flowers, chocolates, Thank You’s & our I Love Yous every day.