I am living and what I am today is because of my mother’s endless care and love. We have all heard about women who abort due to a number of reasons but praise is deserved by the one who endured and decided to let me be born. Mothers have always labored much to have our dreams become a reality. They keep you for nine months and endure all the pain during delivery and still choose the best dish to feed you for a healthy growth.

All what you are today is what your mother tried to mould you into. You may not be at the best but remember life or the world never gives all equally. Instead, be proud of who you are and what you have. Remember that your belongings which you despise, somebody else is wishing to have them.

Prof. Krishna K. Govender, Rector of the School of Finance and Banking, confirms this saying: "Mothers are important in our lives. They are counselors, nurses, and teachers, name it all but our dear mothers’ value is in most times not recognized.”

True, throughout history mothers are not recognized in this male dominated society. But they have tried to carve a special place for themselves by strengthening their resolve and determination. They have not only been dear to their children but have also played an important role in transforming the lives of many people, myself inclusive.

They are called ‘mere’ in French, ‘mutter’ in German, ‘mom/mummy or mother’ in English and ‘maama’ in Kinyarwanda or among the Bantu speaking tribes if not most of the African languages. But no matter what name they maybe called, these mothers have made huge contributions towards numerous causes affecting the lives of millions of people.

Today May Sunday 11, is Mother’s Day (I guess most of you didn’t! know), a day for honouring our mothers. It compliments Father’s Day, the celebration honouring fathers. Your mother does not need to be a famous like Mother Teresa, who worked on behalf of Calcutta’s poor, lepers and oppressed for decades and has today been honoured.

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother’s love endures forever. 

This reminds me of my mother-in-law’s advice to her daughter that when you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts, but you will always have to think twice, once for yourself and then for your child. 

This confirms the saying "being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.”

Peace Nzaramba Bureshyo, a student at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), says NO ONE in the world can take the place of your mother. Right or wrong, from her viewpoint the mother is always right because she may scold you for little things, but never for the big ones.

There are a few things, which are common to all the mothers in the world. Apart from showering love and affection, mothers make it a point to keep an eye on every activity of their children- this of course arises as a result of her being too caring about her child, so that he/she is always unhurt.

Nobody doubts a mother’s love unless it has never been tested due to one reason or the other. A mother’s love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. The love is always accompanied with inspirations, affection and protection.

A friend to James Ruranga, a prominent businessman called Sam Katto, has always said "I always remember my mother’s prayers when I was still young. They have always followed me and made who I am. The prayers have clutched to me all my life.”

He attributes all his successes in life especially in his business to his mother’s prayers who always prayed to see his son successful. It is not that his mother proved success but her prayers for protection, provision and guidance to God are evidence with his success now. No one doubts the importance of God!

Mummies can be of many different types: sugary sweet, disciplinarian, short-tempered, patient, determined or even very passionate. But whatever be the predominant qualities ruling her heart, she would always be the mother to her child and will continue to love and protect her child with all her heart and soul. Her maternal instincts dominate and surpass all other qualities she possesses.

Upon that, all that I am, you are, and ever hope to be, I and you owe to the angel Mother. She deserves and owes you much more than you may think on such a day. But to understand Mother’s Day and what it really means, you need to understand the person in your life called ‘Mother’.

Remember she is one who nurtures you in her womb and brings you forth to enjoy the supreme blessing on earth, that is, Life. She is the one who guides you through your infancy and turns the soft, helpless creature to the powerful and successful YOU.

She sacrificed her time to make her time to make a better YOU. It is the greatest sacrifice of any human being since any time lost is never regained. Time is treasure. Your mother is the guardian angel protecting you and supporting you, feeling for you and serving you silently always with a smile on her face.

She always has pride watching you grow even when you do the stupidest things and provides you a shoulder to cry on whenever you need. The mother is every child’s best friend. You must be selfish if not contented with what you are and inappreciative if not pleased with what she has done.

Today is and should be a special day for everyone. Use this day to honour your mothers for their unconditional love for us. The spirit of the meaning of Mother’s Day is in the fact that we should try and make this day every year a memorable one for your mother. She should cherish the special feeling of this day and the intensity of that feeling should last her a lifetime.

This is the day to stop, remember, and pray for that special person in our life, without whom we would not have been, what we are today; a day to prove that all her efforts, towards making us a complete person, have been worthwhile and make her feel proud for us. In the broader sense of the term, Mother’s Day is a day to be grateful to God for being so kind as to bless us with an angel in the form of a Mother.

Francine Batamuriza, (26) a student says "Mother’s day to me is really special. I still have my mother alive and well although she is nearly seventy.”

She continues that it must be hard when you have had an experience like when your mother left when you were 3 years old.” I think it would affect me if it happened to me as well”.

"Just think of the next concert you are going to go to and that should put a smile on your face,” Bantamuriza asserts.
Against that background, I ought to follow the affirming meaning of the word MOTHER as the WORLD to ME. Each letter has a meaning: M... is for the million things she gave me; O... means only that she’s growing old, T... is for the tears she shed to save me, H... is for her heart of purest gold (treasure), E... is for her eyes, with love-light shining, R... means right, and right she’ll always be. Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER”, the earthly god for all.

The day is a new concept from western civilisation. In many African countries, the idea of one Mother’s Day has its origins in copying the British concept, although there are many festivals and events celebrating mothers within the many diverse cultures on the African continent.

In some countries, the day began not as a celebration for individual mothers but rather for Christians with attention paid to Mary the mother of Jesus as well as the traditional concept ‘Mother Church’.

It is also believed to have originated from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one’s mother’s church annually, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day.

But above all, its initiation was not by mistake, the Bible being a referral book says in Proverbs 10:1: "A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.”

Nevertheless, whatsoever the background of the day may be, out of the 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, and 8 766 hours a year, a special moment with your mother today would mean a lot. Calculate how much time she spent on you. That proves how dear and fond of you she is. Do not forget that she still is devoted to you. God bless the mother.

May the melody of two Ugandan-born singers, Jose Chameleon and Orlando known as Owange kamuwenga (let me continue giving my mother) keep rocking. The song tells the true life a mother undergoes to up bring her child into the challenging world.

Contact: eddiemukaaya@yahoo.com