QUOTE : "For a mother is the only person on earth who can divide her love among ten children
And each child still have all her love."
Lyrics for: Mother Of Mine
Artist : Neil Reid
Music composed by : Bill Parkinson
Mother of mine you gave to me, all of my life to do as I please,
I owe everything I have to you,
Mother sweet mother of mine.
Mother of mine when I was young
You showed me the right way things had to be done,
Without your arms where would I be,
Mother sweet mother of mine.
Chorus:
Mother you gave me happiness, much more than words can say,
I thank the Lord that He may bless you, every night and every day.
Mother of mine now I am grown and I can walk straight all on my own,
I'd like to give you what you gave to me,
Mother sweet mother of mine.
Chorus
Mother of mine now I am grown and I can walk straight all on my own,
I'd like to give you what you gave to me,
Mother sweet mother of mine.
Mother sweet mother of mine.
Ibu
Artist: P. Ramlee
Music composed by : Ahmad Jaafar
Ibu ibu
Engkaulah ratu hatiku
Bila ku berduka
Engkau hiburkan selalu
Ibu ibu
Engkaulah ratu hatiku
Tempat menyatakan kasih
Wahai ibu
Betapa tidak hanya engkaulah
Yang menyinari hidupku
Sepanjang masa engkau berkorban
Tidak putusnya bagai air lalu
Ibu ibu
Engkaulah ratu hatiku
Tempatku menyerahkan kasih
Wahai ibu
********************************************************************************
Today is Haziq's birthday, being 30 September 2008 and he is 11 years old which also happens to be the eve of Hari Raya Aidil Fitri but he is in Kedah now,which is his father's hometown. with his family celebrating the Raya festival.
As usual,the Hari Raya holidays will always conjure a sense of division and mix decisions about where to celebrate the joyous occasion especially if you are a married person.In this case,the issue can be very overbearing if the couple needs to select the venue where Hari Raya should be celebrated : whether it will be at the husband's or wife's hometown so to speak.I guess these perennial "domestic dissent of choice and options " will not prevail if the grandparents and their families are residing in the same city e.g. Kuala Lumpur.And in the case where none of the grandparents existed,their children will have no problems in determining or deciding the ultimate place to celebrate the event.When parents have many children,and as they grew up and marry off with their partners,the desire to please each side of the family household is a hard and painful sacrifice to meet during each festival time.
As the only member of the family who is still single,the problem of choosing my place of celebration for the annual homecoming family reunion is totally non- existent and non-confrontational.Not unlike my other siblings who has to face some of the most challenging situations of their lifetimes, especially when it comes to an occasion like Hari Raya Aidilfitri or maybe Hari Raya Haji,revered as two of the more joyous festivals in the Muslim calender.This issue would probably has a more lasting effect than any other type of family get together suggested.
As most of my siblings have husbands and wife from different hometowns and locations, it is only natural for them to practise and adopt a bipartisan rotational concept whereby both sides of the couple will enable and empower a democratic system on the choice of venue to celebrate the blessed occasion which hopefully will never raise any doubts or bickering amongst them. Again as in her usual contemplation of wishes, my mum will speak bitterly of some members of the family for not taking the opportunity or prerogative to spend the happy occasion with her.Its been years now that the same fate is recurring but 2008 seems to be slightly different as compared to all the years that i have observed Hari Raya. Reason being, - my mum is not well this time. In fact her health is now unlike any of those years that i have seen or felt. Flashback, she actually experienced a slight fall at one of my sister's house sometime in April this year and was operated and hospitalised at the Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre in Jalan Ampang for more than three weeks.As a diabetic,the fall was a big blow to her, both physically and mentally,as she was still so devastated by the horrifying accident.Still undergoing physiotherapy sessions and after many months went by, she has not really fully recovered and has to move with the aid of a crawler in order to move from one place to another. In fact the speed of her body movement has been reduced tremendously so much so that the physical movement abilities can be compared to that of a new born child who is learning how to walk again. Seeing that before my eyes can really break my heart but fate may have wanted that to happen and i just have to bear seeing things changed almost overnight and being totally unfamiliar in more ways than one.
While watching the television this evening she brought up the issue again about how my two other siblings from Singapore who have never made any effort to call her to convey the much anticipated occasional Hari Raya greetings. As far as i have known, the same words and laments have always been uttered by her every time when the Raya day approaches. No wonder some people blame or likened old parents as being a like a spoiled record player churning repetitive lyrics and music that is intolerable that would easily fell on deaf ears. I'm for sure think that married people have different views about their parents' well being when these folks are still alive. Even far worse off, they don't seem to have that personal conscience of guilt or memories of how they were brought into this world by their parents especially by their mothers who cradle them, fed and nurtured till they became adults.They don't seem to feel any sense of gratitude or indebtedness for all that have been provided and blessed. What difference does it make between each son's or daughter's biological mother and their mother in law ? A mother from any side has much to be respected and love without any contrasts and partiality.
Tears flowed in my mother's eyes accented by her subdued voice with intermittent impediments thus limiting and faltering her expressions momentarily.
I would have been the only member of my family to have heard all the grievances that she has made all this while. Sometimes i wish that my two Singaporean siblings would have heard all these words and expressions and if only i had a tape recorder to play it back for all of them to hear. Fortunately, I guess this blog saves the day where i can put all of that in writing now for all of them to read but until the day when it will all be too late to even think about mending all their past faults and misdeeds whether through actions and speeches or just mere silence.
Ironically,there was only one phone call tonight i.e. from my sister's mother- in- law in Kuala Pilah who has made a concerted effort to wish my mum the Hari Raya greetings but again the call had its own personal purpose i.e. to request a presence for my mum to attend her son's wedding ceremony slated for this November.Again some sobs of sadness and dolor will surface during the telephone conversation as she carried on apathetically.It just goes to show how desperate my mother's feelings had been all these years about her circumstantial well being when Hari Raya comes. Not only during this time would she speak in an anguish and melancholy tone but i have never seen her shed so much tears on so many occasions and countless number of times.
Even till late in the evening while it was approaching the hour of midnight,no calls came through. By then my mother has already felt lethargic and exhausted,and after an inexorable wait,she decided to call it a day. Many children would not have felt any sense of urgency or insatiable longing of a mother's wait and hopes to hear a voice of concern and indulgence to care about her anxieties and worries deeply embedded in her heart.
How long must a mother wait? Until the last gasps of her breath subsides,then it will be too late for future regrets.
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