There is a word in this world for someone who is selfless, who loves without expectations, who sacrifices life without a second thought, who is the embodiment of forgiveness. Is it God? I can say this person is next to God or someone equal to him as said in the Vedas, Maatru devo bhava.' The word described above is about a sacred and tender being called Mother.'

Mother' is the sweetest and adorable word on this earth and it resides in every heart of a being. A mother bears a child not 9 months alone but her entire life, as long as she breathes on this earth. Before she becomes a mother, she devotes her life to her husband but once she is a mother, she gives up her life for her children. A magnificent change takes place in her role from a wife to a mother. She loves her children selflessly; she needs both mental and physical strength, mental balance, forbearance, will power and above all sacrifice to raise her children. It is very difficult to live a peaceful life during this process.

She rests only at the sound of the peaceful breath of her child. She smiles at the happiness of her child and cries at the child's sorrow. Every moment her mind thinks of her child and her heart beats for the same. Her eyelids rest only after the child's eyelids are closed. She wakes up waiting for her child to open her eyes. Her child's first steps are hers and the moment her child speaks, her matured language unknowingly twists into a child's language. Her heart is filled at the fullness of the child's stomach.

Mother is a giver of life when a situation arises. She has perennial love as that of an ocean. She is a friend who doesn't compete or let ego sprout up. The moment she thinks of her far away child, tears roll down her cheeks from the pangs of separation. Though she has many children in her presence, she doesn't stop worrying about the child who is far away from her. Though they are all fruits, every fruit has its own taste and characteristic features. Mother feels the same regarding all her children. Every child is special to her.

The love a mother has for her child is very different than the love child has for its mother. The former is very intense, selfless and forgiving than the latter. A child can understand the depth of a mother's love only when she becomes a mother. Only then will she know the bareness of life due to separation which hurts all her life.

We take our mother for granted because she is always there for us granting all our wishes. We do not realize her value when we stay together under the same roof but once when we are away from her and start to taste the sweetness of being a mother, it is then we repent for the little mistakes we made and the little sorrow we brought into her happy heart and life. Better late than never. Express your love in a few words at least sometimes in your lives so that you need not have to repent or regret for your past deeds. Speak a few kind and loving words and her heart bubbles with joy and you will feel it in her eyes. Her word of happiness is a blessing. Her blessing is a life long boon to us. Let her happiness crown our lives. Let her take pride in the fulfillment of her expectations towards us. Above all let's thank the Lord for letting us taste the true love in our lives and in turn pray to Him that a mother may never fail to receive unbounded love all her life.

"Many faults can be seen in any role of a woman but as a mother one cannot see any. Sharmila Sanka