By Cl. John Nari, SDB

Don Bosco Oratory in Samphran celebrated mother’s day on 12thAugust, 2015. Mother’s Day was first introduced to Thailand on 15th April, 1950. In 1976, Mother’s Day was changed to 12th August to commemorate the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Mother of all Thai people.

'Mom', 'Maa', 'Mae', or 'NaMak', the words might be different in different languages but signifies same everywhere: unconditional care, love, concern and sacrifice. The place that a mother holds in child's heart is same all around the world. The first word that a child learns to speak is mother, whether one is happy or sad, she is the first person to know it all! For a child, her mother always remains the center of attention. She shines like a guiding star, whose trail kid follows. In each country and every culture, mothers are respected for their selfless devotion towards child.

During the day I interviewed some of our Oratory children mothers, who came to join our celebration, I was so impress by Namoun’s mother message.  Here is what she said:

I am a Mom four times with four children.  And I wouldn't exchange it for anything else.  The truth is that, although some of the years have been very challenging, being a mom has been the most rewarding experience of my life.

My own children will tell you that having me as a mom is not always a bed of roses. On the other hand, they will also tell you that our family saying is: “Every day is Mother's Day, at the Chat well House."

Almost always, I am treated with kindness and respect by my offspring. And I think that now, as adults, they can look back and see that over time my instruction to them has been more often right than wrong.

God is responsible for this.  If it was not for Him and His love for me, I would never have known Him.  If I had not known Him, I would not have known His love; nor would I have been able to share it with my children.

It is His love that has made the difference.  It is His love that allowed me to become a mom.  It is His love that has helped me stay sane during the parenting years.  And it is His love that has guided me almost daily through the task and the privilege of raising children.

I'd like to say that when your children are grown, you can stop being a parent... but, as you well know, that just isn't true. In some ways, our children seem to need us as much now as they did when they were little. Only now, their needs are different.

My husband, Sun, (God bless him) loves me a lot. His strength and stability have been my constant support through these past 30 years; as we have traveled the road of parenthood together. We often laugh about parenting; glancing at each other and saying, "I wouldn't do this with anyone else!" How I love him so! I hope that you find God's love and provision in your life as you parent your children. 

God bless you! Happy Mother’s Day!