Yesterday, Sunday, May 13, 2018, Ghanaians and many other Nationals celebrated those among us whom we call Mom or Mommy or Mama. Whatever we call her, she is one of the most important people in the history of all our lives that deserves to be celebrated.
She brings us into the world and nurtures us at our most vulnerable times. She is simultaneously our biggest fan and our harshest critic. Her demands can sometimes be unattainable but are tempered with love.
Mother’s Day is a day for many people to show their appreciation towards mothers and mother figures worldwide. It is an annual event but is held at different dates in the calendar, depending on the country.
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The Mother’s Day celebrations date back to the ancient Greeks and Romans who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. The British honored moms during Mothering Sunday long before the modern-day American holiday which began in 1908. Eventually, Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday to honour mothers.
From time immemorial, Mothers have represented things that we treasure: love, understanding, comfort and sacrifice. From the Jewish mother who can summon guilt with just a sigh to the strong, wise black mother whose cooking sustains entire families, mothers are without equal in our Ghanaian culture. And we shouldn’t forget the thousands of single mothers who are overworked and often devalued by society.
Every one of us owes our existence to our mothers. If it weren’t for our mothers giving birth to us, we would not be here today and celebrating them.
But serving as the needed vessel by which we were all brought into this world is far from the only way in which our mothers have been there for us.
Our mothers fed us, nursed us and took care of all our needs when we were infants. They were there to heal our wounds when we injured ourselves and offer gentle comfort when we were feeling down, even if they themselves were hurting.
For those of us who’s mothers are no longer with us can always say a little prayer for them not only on Mother’s Day but throughout the year.
We should remember to continue to coddle the mothers and give them their due. If they are far away, we should make sure to call them most often. We should not take them for granted, because as those who have lost their mothers can tell you, they are often gone too soon.
As we celebrate this special day, Public Agenda would like to say kudos to all our mothers
