Who works tirelessly, selflessly, above their own needs? Never looks for praise and recognition. Never seeks attention from us or others for their hard work? They get their rewards when we pass our examinations in academia, when we become tall, taller, when we perform brilliantly in sports. These are our lives unsung hero’s -our parents. They work most selflessly till their last breath for us children. And we take from them effortlessly, naturally without questioning.
Many memories flitted through my head today. I decided to dedicate today’s post to life’s unsung hero’s.
The parent of a child with severe health problems or learning difficulties, who has to find the resources, every day, to cope with the crushing demands of caring for someone with special needs. It's not just the physical demands, of course, it's also the emotional challenge of watching so-called normal kids — and their parents — get on with lives that seem like a breeze by comparison.
The lady whose husband suffers dementia and has finally, against her will, seen him admitted to a nursing home. Every day she visits him, usually to find him in a state of blissful ignorance of who she is or why she's there. Like thousands of such sad spouses, she is only occasionally rewarded by a flicker of recognition. She still loves him, and she has known for years that love's work is hard work.
The man who once had aspirations to be a leader in his profession but who finally realizes that in the eyes of his peers, he is an also-ran. Having a wife and children to support, he sticks gamely to his job, year after year, sees his children through university and hears his wife lavishly praised for going back to working in her 50s. He finds contentment in having helped make all that possible.
The couples, countless in number, who learn to swallow their disappointments in each other, and discover the rich meaning of "for better, for worse".
A mother who works in anganwadi , selling idli’s to feed her son and his other siblings so that they can get a decent education and eventually become bright successful adults. Her labour of love - unflinching, uncompromising.
"I will drink the Ocean'' says the persevering soul, ''at my will mountains will crumble up''. Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, work hard, and you will reach the goal." Swami Vivekananda
My salute to you – great hero’s!
21 comments:
I looked back at my life after reading this post Mee. As a child, how many dreams our parents have made come true. Without understanding the financial situation, we ask for cricket bats, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability, they have catered to all our needs. Did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes? Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us? A heartfelt Salute to our parents. And ty for this wonderful nudge.
*sigh*
and to think about how many arguments I've had with them, more importantly arguments on what?!
Thought provoking and heart warming ! mee :)
There is no way one can ever repay what one's parents have done for you..you can get new friends,new kids,new wife or a husband , a new brother or a sister..new relatives..but never new parents. love and cherish them as long as they are around.Do all that you can do for them today for tomorrow..there is no point heaving a sigh and a sob of regret...thinking how much you miss them , regreting the time you dint spend with them when they needed you .Accomodate them not in your pocket but your heart..like they did all your life.
call them now and say ya miss n love them !Make their day n yours too! :)
it was as if you were writing about my father. Really hard to stop from crying. I just miss him so much. Seema
Hey that's me , PP from Bglr under the new blog name of' muse '.
so u shall get more frequent comments from me. ...wonder what triggered ur thoughts ?? I for one think it is beyond the control of the parents to be otherwise i.e. to be selfish... we are biologically wired to provide for and give the best to the next genaration..do we really have a choice ?? u give irrespective , of accolades ,appreciation etc. and that makes u a wiser , more spiritual person
As a parent, it is only now that I realise all that my parents did and I'm grateful.
More unsung heroes - my bais, who run my house in my absence. They are loyal, honest and caring.
I know exactly how raw you must be feeling Mee, you are gods child and a blessed one at that. Your parents loved you dearly and no amount of you saying or not saying any words to them can ever take away their unconditional love for you. Know that, wherever they are, they are always watching out for you, protecting you and guiding you:) Am so glad for you being in my life- you are my real friend, my true hero:)
Lovely. Soul stirring. Honest. Love you much.
Salutations and doubly more salutations! Hopefully we will pass on this beautiful baton to our next generation just as admirably as our folks did with us:) Such is life Mee. Lovely post!
Ever wondered why our parents or those in love are so selfless? Its called LOVE. undying undiminishing love. Its also called DUTY... and a combination of both is what makes life so worth living:)Well done Mee, this is compelling stuff. Definitely heart warming.
Overwhelmed by this post.Really chief, we do take our real heroes fr granted. Mom will give the best of the food bt we salviate fr the outside junk.
She might hav sacrificed her wish list fr us nd we always consisidered that as her duty.
Its now as a parent I feel the pinch when all I do fr my brat is considered just my duty by him. He loves me fr all this bt I know he thinks that is what I am supposed to do fr him. I believe that is the way of life.
Once in school, a classmate of mine was discussing a picture of his family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of students suggested that he was adopted. My class friend a girl said, ' I know all about
adoption, I was adopted.. '
' What does it mean to be adopted? asked my class mate.'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy! '
And all I want to say is, yep, its true for all those heros, who love us unconditionally, whether real or adopted:) More power to them always!:)
Everyone deserves salute; a father, a mother, a teacher, an employer, a priest, an Imam, etc.
Luckily, I enjoy being a holder of multiple positions, so I too deserve the one, at least. what about u?
Mee! Very well written!So true! After readin your blog, I really feel ashamed for the stupidest things..i don't say that i am bad a person but stupid things..a normal teenager would do..like spendin so much money..without thinkin twice what I am doin..may be that's the reason we say teenagers..i guess but still. i really hats off to all those parents who sacrificed their life's for thr kids...Thnks for remainding MEE.!!1
Marvelous reminder of more reasons why parents are akin to Gods in our lives:)
Mee, u know the number of times I fight with my folks. Gosh I feel terrible. Today I am going to behave and remember this post and not argue about anything with them. TY darling.
hi.... ur post is so true. today also often i just utter a word and i find the thing before me. The other day i was here and was down with high fever, i just got a call from mom asking how is ur health, just called to ask whether u r having fever ot not. may be that is telepathy, staying away from also, we are still in their minds always.thats called the emotional bonding.....lucky to such such people in our lives
beautiful post
RS - u r most welcome:) And its time now to give back to our parents and the Silver guys for sure:)
Sonu - sigh, I know, but never too late to stop arguing and snapping and hugging back in turn:)
Apple27shan - yep!:)
Seema, my intention was not to make you cry, am sorry for your loss and so totally understand your tears, cherish those memories and love him even more:)
Muse- am sooo glad to see u here, I hope Jai will one day read this blogpost and know:) the unconditional love in words:)
Neelu - cheers to that:)
Gits, Sheila - ty:) and likewise:)
Gits- did you buy them those lovely flowers?:)
Jim - yes!
Mikey - ty:)
Sumit - dont we, but this was written to remind ourselves not to take our unsung heros for granted:)
and thats what makes the difference to life I guess:)
Ash - how lovely:)
Aijaz - salute to you too:)
Vinni - anytime:)
Ajeya - ty
Really nice post. Its extremely insightful and sensitive. I expected to read about anger against the system or more about places you'd visited. This came in the midst of all that and is very refreshing.
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