Contest 2011 May

This month’s contest is an easy one. Because Mother’s Day is approaching in a few days (May 8th), I thought it would great to hear some stories. I would like to hear about the special things you have done for your mother. Or as a mother, you can write what your kids have done for you. It can be any story from the past or even from this upcoming mother’s day.

The winners will be selected randomly from all the comments.

Below is my checklist:

  • You will not have email me anything this time. You can simply leave a comment on this page (scroll to the bottom).
  • You must leave a valid email address so that I can contact you after the contest is over. Don’t worry, your email address will not be public (only I will be able to see it).
  • The comments will be open until May 28th.
  • The winner will be featured on the homepage and a link to their website (if available).

1st Prize: $100 gift certificate from Amazon.com
2nd Prize: $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com

**Anyone can join this contest**


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46 thoughts on “Contest 2011 May

  1. When I was little, I loved to make crafts for my parents. Every mother’s day (and father’s day) I would make them a painting, a card or some other handmade things. Of course I was to young to really understand the meaning of the day and to really appreciate my mom and dad. Now that I’m older, I’ve learnt how important they are to me. Unfortunately I now live far away from home to attend school, so I don’t get to see them very often. This year I sent my mom a homemade car as I’ve always done and gave her a call to wish her a Happy Mother’s Day! I know it’s not much but I think she was happy to hear from me and to know that I love her and appreciate everything she does for me. I really miss her and hope I can see her sometime soon 🙂

  2. Mother is the most beautiful word in the world.
    It is the word that a child utters first when he/she starts speaking.
    My mother is also very dear to me.

    We are four siblings,three sisters and one brother.
    I still remember how painful and hectic it would be for my mother to take care of we four siblings.
    When we were in school,I still remember few of her daily activites,she will prepare our school bag,tiffin box,help us to do our homework,attend the parents teacher meetings etc.
    Once we are in school,she will be busy taking care of my father,grandmother and other household activities.
    On Sundays she will do all the laudary work.
    She never will have time for her own self.Only a mother can take so much responsibility on her shoulder and sacrifice her happiness for her children without questioning anything.

    By God’s grace and parents blessings, today I am a well educated person and happily staying with my wife in USA.
    This mother’s day I planned something special for my mother.
    I called her on May 8th and invited her to visit us in USA.
    That’s was a small gift from me to my Mother and a lifetime surprise for her.
    She could not believe it and started crying.
    Finally I did all the arrangements for her visa interview,booked her tickets and one of friends is accompanying her to US in July.
    I have reserved hotel and various park tickets well in advance for her vacation.
    A mothers love and sacrifice can never be counted and paid back.As a token of love this is what I have planned for my mother so far.

    As Lord Rama told Laxman after the vicory over Ravana and Lanka,”Janani Janmabhoomischa Swargadapi Gariyasi” which means Mother and motherland are greater than heaven.Similary my heaven is in mother’s feet.

    I salute all mother’s for being so gentle and kind.

  3. Just Hugged my Mom and wished by dedicating her with :

    “Dekh Andhere Tera Muh phir se kala ho gaya…
    Maa ne Aankhe kholi, Ghar main Ujala ho gaya….”

    “Wo apne Daman se Mere Gunaho ko Dho Deti hai,
    Maa jab Gusse main hoti hai to Ro deti hai……”

    Happy Mother’s Day my lovely mom…..:)

  4. As usual, a day before, I was planning about the surprises and gifts for my mom with my little sister via email. Then I went to kitchen for some snacks. Unknowingly my husband enters the room and found my Mail-ID opened. He read the whole planning and misconstrued it.
    He thought that I am going to organize a surprise for HIS mother. He was so happy and proud of me, that he ran to the kitchen and hugs me. He said that, he appreciates my sincere love and caring towards him and his mother as being a new daughter-in-law, I am planning to wish her.
    Then I realize what a big mistake I was going to do. She is also my mother now and it’s our very first Mother’s day. I corrected myself. I wake up early in the morning, went to her room and touch her feet. Give her a warm hug and wishes her “a very happy mother’s day mamma“.
    According to the plan, we organized a surprise family party for her in which we also invited my married sister-in-laws. We enjoyed the awesome party with the funny note, when her grand children wishes her by saying “ Happy Mother’s Mother’s Day Naani “.
    My husband standing nearby me, looked into my eyes and said “ thank u so much for giving us this beautiful day “. I was speechless and smiled.

  5. I was only in grade 2 and my sister in grade 3 when the unthinkable happened-my mother was diagosed with heart trouble.
    To say that our wold caved in on itself was an understatement. Although nobody told us anything, we understood that our mom could die. She was in hospital and would not ever come back.
    Somebody made us eat, sleep and get up for school. Looking back, I hardly remember what we actually did at that time. It was a living horror, a nightmare from which we never woke up. My sister and I hugged each other and cried in private. We did not want to go to school. We did not want to eat. What was life without our mother? We could not imagine it.
    How little it takes to turn a routine life topsy turvy. One twist of fate and our family went through a time that was too painfully real to feel real. I was too young to feel anything but despair and the shocked realization of how much my mother meant to me. To a 7 year old, she was my world.
    I thank God that my mother’s condition improved with hospitalization, so much that she eventually came home. How relieved, how thankful we all were!! It was meant that Mom would regain health rapidly and live on to see me and my sister get married and have children-because that’s what happened afterwards. To this day, I thank God for restoring her to us.
    To anyone who reads this, remember to be grateful for the presence of your loved ones in your lives. They are here today. May it be so always.

  6. I want to thank you for your wonderful recipes and videos. I really enjoy them.

    My mom loves “fancy” buffets. So for Mother’s Day we take her to the Ritz Carlton for their brunch buffet. She loves trying all the different foods and desserts. And she gets a break from cooking for us.

  7. Well I didn’t know until I came to US that there was a day set particularly to celebrate Mother’s. When we were growing up we took our mother for granted. We are 4 sisters and were in a joint family for a very long time. I don’t know how my mother did it, she is the 1st DIL and got married when she was very young. She used to do all the chores and used to get us ready on time to school. We never really appreciated for what she did for us until we got married and went our own ways and started our lives. Now 3 of us are married and have kids and we miss our mom each and everyday of our lives, now we know just how much she struggled to bring us up. We really don’t celebrate mothers day, but given an opportunity I would love to be with her everyday and take care of her, that is the least i can do.

  8. My family is a blessed family with 5 generations…
    My son-4.5yrs, myself-32yrs, my mom-50yrs, my grandma-71yrs and my great grandma-90yrs.
    We are all the first children of our family and other than me everyone got married almost in their teen age. so my great grandma could have 5 generations in her life time.
    I’m in US for the past 5yrs and after I came to Us only I could feel the importance of celebrating “Mother’s Day”. So, I planned this vacation as such we could celebrate this wonderful day in my Great grandma’s
    village. Me, My mom and my grandma prepared the dished which is Mom’s alltime favourite.
    I prepared Gobi Paratas and Rasagulla (My special thanks to Manjula Aunty). My mom prepared Channa dhal Dosa(Adai) and Adhirasam (Rice flour sweet).
    My grandma prepared Idiappam(Rice noodles) and coconut milk. Ofcourse my son didn’t prepare anything for me but his sweet wishes.
    Till then my Great grandma was not aware of the celebration. We all went to my Great grandma’s home and she was really surprised
    and her feelings cannot be expressed by words… we saw the sparkles in her tired eyes… My Great grandma… inspite of her health condition,
    she slowly went inside the kitchen and within few minutes she returned with a very simple, traditional… healthy drink called “Panakam” which is
    also called as “Summer Cooler”. The recipe is as below…

    Ingredients:
    jaggery – 1 lemon size
    water – 3 cups
    cardamom powder – 1/4 tea spn
    pepper powder – 1/2 tea spn
    Dried ginger powder(sukku) – 1/2 tea spn
    lemon juice(optional) – 1 tea spn

    Method:
    Mix all of the above till the jaggery is dissolved in water. Mix well and filter and serve.

    Great drink with lots of medicinal values… was the Winner and all the dishes that we prepared grabbed the Runner cup.
    Out of my Great grandma’s experience she could figure out in few seconds… what is necessary for that really hot sunny day.
    We will never know how many Mother’s day we could celebrate with my Great grandma… but these memories will be there for ever…

  9. unfortunately I was away overseas this year for mother’s day, I did make sure to give mum a call on the day and buy a nice gift for when I returned though. 🙂

  10. Mother’s day is such a lovely day to share our feeling to our mothers. I never knew about mother’s day until I moved to USA. I wish I could do something for her every year and spend time with her. Staying so far makes us realize mother’s value even more.
    I never understood how much sacrifice my mom had to make to bring us up and in fact every mom would have done that. Being a Mom myself makes me realize the responsibilities even more.

    I had a problem with whatever clothes she chose and food she made. Result-I have even more crabby child who does not like to eat what I cook and more pickier than me. I sit and think how hard it would have been for her all her life to make me, my brother and my father happy. We never really bothered how much difficulties she is going through or what made her happy .We all had our own tiny little worries.

    I missed her so much this mother’s day and I baked a cake (My mom bakes really nice cakes and I wanted to show my daughter that I can make it too).I am going to buy her a favorite ruby set and gift it to her when I visit her.

    I try to teach my daughter all the moral values that she has taught me .Her helping hand, generosity and caring nature amazes me to a great extent and I sometimes doubt myself if I can be like her and if I can be a role model for my daughter like how my Mom was for me.

    Thanks for the opportunity to have us write about our Moms. When I first visited this website, I felt home like after watching your videos. I have said this many times before and saying again-You are such a great inspiration to all of us.

  11. This mothers day I got my mom a brand new visor. I know it may not seem like much but wait until you hear the story. My mom loves visors (mostly because they keep the sun out of her eyes and don’t mess up her hair). She had this one visor for almost five years!!! That visor was getting really old, torn, and just nasy looking. My mom HARDLY EVER spends money on her self so thats why she never bought a new one. So I decided to go and get her one. I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. and then I got to work. I put the visor in a gift bag. On about 100 post-it notes I wrote stuff like I love you mom, Happy Mothers Day, Best mom in the world, etc. I put the gift bag on a coffee table in our living room and put all the post-its around the bag on the tabel. Also on a bunch of other sticky notes I made arrows leading ffrom her room to the gift. I didn’t personally see her wake up and get the gift because I was asleep but when I came down stairs the look on her face and the visor on her head was enough for me. I love you mom.

  12. Hello Everyone,

    A very Happy Mothers day to all mothers out here!! I wrote a poem for my mother this mothers day, & it goes like this –

    २८ की मैं होने चली पर माँ के लिए अभी भी हु छोटी गुडिया
    बचपन मेरा सुन्दर बीता सुनियी माँ ने प्यारी कहानिया
    जैसे की मैं और दीदी हु उनकी छोटी राजकुमारिया
    तेरा मुस्कुराता चेहरा रोशन कर दे मेरी दुनिया
    हस्ते हस्ते तुने छुपाई मेरी कई सारी शेतानिया
    छूप छूप के जब तुम रोई थी जब मैं विदा हो रही थी
    फिर आसू पूछ तुमने मुझसे कहा खुशहाल रहे तेरी नयी दुनिया
    फिर भी माँ अधूरी है मेरी दूनिया तेरे बिना

    Thanks
    Riddhi

  13. I moved to US after the marriage and was the first Mother’s day after my wedding. It had been almost an year since I had seen my Mom. Just like me she was desperately waiting to see me. I went to India without giving her any noice and surprised her on the Mother’s day. She was overwhelmed with Joys. Had never seen her that happy before about anything. That moment really made me cry and was one of the best moments. As a present I got her a new frame made for her specs, so that everytime she wears it, she can feel my presence not considering the distance of how far away I am from her.

    Awaiting for more such moments that can make my Amma happy happy happy for ever. I would love to celebrate everyday as Mother’s day and find an excuse to make you happy..you are such a wonderful Mom..loooootsaa love to you…

  14. Well, I moved away from my mom and dad when I got married five years ago and have been missing them ever since, especially my mommy. Now, at 33, with two kids of my own, I’m grateful for everything that she has done. As I was growing up, I made the regular mother’s day presents that every child makes for their mothers, in school…cards, bean plants, paintings. But, the biggest reward I gave to my mother, is seeing her daughter, have her own children. My mom was so excited at the thought of me having my first baby. My daughter was born almost 3 years ago, and my mom was there to experience it all with me. I was so happy to have her with me. I missed her food, her smile, her voice, and the heart and soul she put into everything she did. For Mother’s Day this year, I gave her a phone call, and she got to see her grandchildren, my daughter and son, through Skype. I knew it wasn’t much, but I knew that she would appreciate it and it would still be a great Mother’s Day for both of us. We are planning to visit them soon and it will be a great reunion! Happy Mother’s Day to all mommies around the world! 🙂

  15. You can see it in their eyes,
    in tender hugs and long good-byes,
    a love that only moms and daughters know.

    You can see it in their smiles,
    through passing years and changing styles,
    a friendship that continually seems to grow.

    You can see it in their lives,
    the joy each one of them derives,
    in just knowing that the other one is there…

    To care and to understand,
    lend an ear or hold a hand,
    and to celebrate the memories they share.

  16. Mother and daughter relationships are complex because the daughter looks to her mother as a role model of what a woman is. As she grows up and sees other woman who live their lives differently, she chooses between imitating her mother or other significant influences in her life. As an adolescent she may come to look down on her mother and think that other woman are much better. Of course she is not a fully grown woman so she does not understand the challenges and choices that her mother faces. It is only when she herself becomes a woman that she can fully appreciate her mother.

    I love you mom everyday and forever.

  17. Hello 🙂
    Well…my parents got divorced and i stayed with my dad. And although he has been a perfect dad, i needed a mom as a youngster/teenage girl. Thats where my stepmom comes into this story 🙂
    We see all those films and kids stories with evil stepmoms since we were kids. And i can tell you, this “stepmom” was a real mom to me 🙂 I love her TOO MUCH! She means a lot to me. Everytime i needed her – she was there. Everytime i needed support – she was there. Everytime i needed someone to talk to – she was there… She was there in most of important days in my life.
    And today i want to thank my (step)MOM for being the best MOM ever to me 🙂
    Love you <3

  18. This Mother’s day, my 5 year old son has made me at least 5-6 Happy soon mother day cards and has left me notes of I love you so much mom. It sure made my whole week of mom’s day very special.

  19. Hi Manjula aunty,
    Hope you had a fabulous mother’s day .

    To be honest with you, I have never celebrated mother’s day when I was India .. After settling in UK, I realised how much my mom has done for me every single day for the past 23 years .
    The best gift I received from her was a book with all the traditional recipes.
    The speciality of the book is she wrote the entire book for me in a week . It’s got all recipes from rasam to Jelabi , Dhall to MysorePak and whatever I need for my daily survival and Special days

    It’s my treasure that I will preserve and protect and pass it on to my kids and grandkids.

    I have never given her any gift or anything special .. Hope she receives the best gift at this stage in her life (Yes !! ofcourse a grandKid). I pray god to wish her this beautiful gift ..Love u Mom :):)

  20. “My son turned me a Looney on Mother’s day”

    On this mother’s day I was sitting in the patio sipping my cup of coffee and reading my daily. One of my son’s favorite toys is his kitchen set. I could partially sense his activities while still reading the newspaper. My son suddenly appeared in front of me with his porcelain toy tea cup which was filled with water. While he offered the tea cup, it meant that he wanted me to sip it and give it back to him. So this play was going on and on, when my husband entered the patio. He sat besides me to watch my son’s hospitality in offering me water in his tea cup. He suddenly burst out laughing while my son also vaguely put on a smile on his face. Upon asking my husband why he laughed, he reverted saying, “Didn’t you know that the only place he could reach for water is the bathroom?” I was like.. “YUCK.. WHAAAAAAATTT?”

    My son sure did turn me a looney that day.. But that’s one of many precious times we enjoyed with our son. I know my son is not big enough to realize that it was mother’s day.. However this would be an unforgettable funny mother’s day for me, which I would recall during every other mother’s day to come.

  21. This mother’s day meant more to me than those of the past. My dear mother is 87 years old this summer and last fall she suffered a stroke. My mom has always been a very strong and independent woman. She has always done for others and helped those in time of need. She would drive her friends to the store, to church, to the airport, to the doctor, whereever they needed to go. She would spend hours in the hospital sitting with friends who had nobody else to sit by them.
    My Mom can no longer drive due to the stroke. Now the rolls are reversed and she must depend on others. She is still a woman of strength and goodness and I love her very much.
    God Bless Our Moms!

  22. All the words in the world are not enough to write about mother.
    Many pains that she bore for kids
    Ocean of love
    Treasure of teaching
    Hardships she faces with happiness
    Every day she thinks about kids
    Ready to sacrifice any thing for her kids…

    God could not be there every where so he made mothers. The word that comes from deep inside my heart. The only person who always forgets herself and thinks only for her kids. I didn’t exactly realize her importance until I had my kids. What ever you do for your mom is just a water droplet in the ocean. If you are happy she is very happy, if we are sad she soothes us and takes that pain. We celebrate mother day, but every day is children’s day for our mother. There is no moment that they forget us. She accept as you are. Happy with a phone call, if you send her photos they are a great treasure to her. The only thing that any mom wants in this world is love from her kids. She is our first teacher. She is happy if we kick as a unborn baby in stomach. The biggest assert that you can have in this world is your mom. Mom knows what you don’t know about yourself. My mother met a major accident a year before my daughter’s birth. One bone was grafted from her thigh and was put in her knee as her knee bone smashed. She was on bed for 6 months. Despite of all the hardship she came for us traveling for 20 hours. One day my son was about to fall she lifted him and suffered with pain and swelling in her knee for many days. Happy Mother’s day to all the mom’s in this world.

    In Indian culture the first place goes to mom, Matru devo bhava Pitru devo bhava Acharaya devo bhava Athiti devo bhava. The sweetest word that lips can tell is amma or maa. There is saying when you tell maa or amma your lips join together and so a the mother who always want you and your welfare only.

    My very special thanks for Manjula ji for giving us such a lovely opportunity for writing about mom.

  23. Mommy I love you !

    My mom is special,
    Each day is a realisation.
    Its an emotion to stay connected
    Beyond geographies,
    And beyond celestial journies.
    I remember her even if far away.
    A simple prayer before my lamp
    Tears in my eyes
    Memories as a child.
    We are connected.
    Its a blood relation.
    And a pleasure worth realisation.

    Becoming a mom myself.
    Each day I realise,
    We learn from our life.
    A simple game..
    A complex tantrum..
    How parents delt with it..
    How did they bear that smile on the face??
    Books apart, every day of life
    teaches me a lesson.

    My son is a Wi kid
    of this generation.
    As an infant, dream of cars
    And flying planes.
    Mothers day compliments are new to me.
    My son wishes me,Says “Im pretty as a Dinasour”!
    While I drive down from school
    still wondering in amazement.
    He waits to jump to car seat,
    waiting unto 18 he feels
    is like a wait unto eternity.
    He’s a pleasure despite the
    my day long toil.
    I sit back and think,
    if I would be able to mould
    this bundle of joy,
    into a worthy boy.
    Being a mom of this generation
    Is a challenge in every nation.
    Thinking back of our moms
    every day is a realisation.

  24. I was a very young tom boyish girl and my mother had a tough time getting me to do any kitchen chores leave alone cooking. I didnt know anything about cooking and would never offer any help to my mother unlike my elder sister who is a perfect daughter that any mother would want to have. It was my mother’s birthday and she had gone to the temple that day. I was all alone at home.I was wondering what to gift her since my siblings had gifted her better things than I could have thought off. It was already lunch time and mom hadnt returned. I knew she would be tired and that she had to cook lunch for us. That was the time I thought of giving her some rest and went to the kitchen to cook for the first time. I was very fond of tomato rice that my mother used to make. I thought of making that for her that day.I knew what were the ingredients for the dish but didnt know the process of cooking at all. But I tried by putting the tomatoes first and then the onions and then the whole masalas. Obviously it was a disaster.I threw it and thought may be i should fry the onions and the masalas first.I simultaneously made rice (my mother had once verbally told me how to make rice 🙂 and lo…it was much better than what I thought it would turn out to be. I was dying to see my mom’s reaction. She came home and was obviously very tired. She was complaining about how she has no help at home. I was waiting for the moment and I gave her water and then closed her eyes and served tomato rice with an happy birthday mom postit stuck on a tooth pick…..imagine the happiness that my mother must have felt that time.She was absolutely thrilled and no other presents that my siblings had given her could match the joy on her face at that time. She couldnt believe me when I told her that I had made it all by myself. That day she told me that I would make a good cook cause the food was just perfect and she hugged me. Since that day, whenever I am home and if my mother had to go out for some work, I would always keep the meal ready. And it still makes her happy. Today, I am a mother and I now know why she was so happy that day. My mom is the best. I love her.

  25. Mother’s Day has always been special for me and my siblings. But the one in 2008 was very special my parents were with me here in Canada and only three of us were home.I brought flowers for mom and a pendant saying
    #1 Mom. My mom was speechless and so moved that she couldnot hide her tears.So every year after that year she would put it on and remember me and right now she is in India and she put pendant on and when I was on phone with her on Mother’s Day she said,that is the best gift she has ever received in her life and that made my day.

  26. Mother’s Day

    They have all been special as we have a family tradition that we always make our own greeting cards for all occassions. This adds to the thoughtfullness that goes into the words you write. I have one daughter and I too was an only child so we have alot of similarities in our lives which adds to our close relationship.

    I have kept all of these special cards with heartfelt emotions written down for a future day for me to reread to fill up my love tank if it feels a little low that day. These cards hold special memories of specific years when a topic might have been very pertinent to our day to day conversations. These cards are a timeline of our relationship as it flowed and ebbed during the years.

    It is interesting how words written can have a much more profound emotional response thatn spoken words. Spoken words leave with your breathe and then they are a memory – there is never discussion as to what was said when the words are written. Written words allow us to delve deeper into the essence of the meaning of words put together in a specific order within a sentence. Within each of these cards the energy of mother/daughter love prevails.

  27. Hello Manjula:-) Thanks for the opportunity to compete in one of your monthly contests. Wishing you a belated Mothers day and hope you had a great time with your family.

    Having arrived in the US at age 19 after my marriage, my children are the ones that taught me all about the American culture and still continue to do so after 38 years of living in this country while I teach them about their Indian heritage. When they were little, from pre-school, I would be gifted with their art work saying ‘Happy Mothers Day’ scribbled holding their fingers by the teacher, that continued when they were able to write and create on their own, later on, to culminate into purchasing a greeting card and flowers or gifts with their own earnings. They still continue to to do coupled with a visit and a telephone call. There have been countless presents over the years. However, the most memorable for me have been Mothers day celebrations and gifts from when they were little!

    Every year, they made Mothers Day very exciting to wake up to, with a surprise breakfast in bed – from cereal in a bowl, flower in a cup with a glass of milk to other elaborate breakfasts with tea as they grew up! Some of them leaving behind a big mess in the kitchen for me to clean up after;-) As they grew up, they would take turns by one of them cooking and the other cleaning. There have been many breakfasts, the tradition of which is now continued by their fathe,r with a flower bouquet since both the girls live away from us!

    There have been many thoughtful services like manicure, pedicure, massage togther, besides movies, luncheons, dinners, etc. gratefully accepted as means of spending time together over the years. Some of the gifts may jump out like a gold pendant that says “ #1Mom” by 18 year old daughter, who saved up for it from her summer jobs – not for the piece of gold jewelry but, for the sweet thoughtfulness that went into it! Another worth the mention, was a yellow sticky that they hung on the back window of my car with the words,’Ultimate Mom’s Taxi’ accompanied with gratitude for being driven to and from, many extra curricular activities they participated in.

    Of all the gifts they have presented me on Mothers day, one each from my girls stand out in my memory: The one that most touched my heart by Nikhila, my eldest – was a book of coupons that she created, for me to use on any given day. Each of the coupons had a chore that she would do (not her chores), like mow the front lawn, do the laundry, vacuum the house, etc. One of the best loved and cherished gifts from my baby girl, Jaimala at age 10 came by saving up for months, her weekly allowance, was a mug from Avon, sold by her baby sitter, who was our neighbor. The mug said, ‘Mom, my whole world blossoms when I think of you’ enclosed within a heart surrounded by flowers that is still a keepsake for me. I am truly fortunate to have been blessed with two wonderful daughters who are married to amazing sons, who care for us, just as they do for their own parents, if not more. Eventually love is what matters and not the material gifts!

  28. Hi Manjulaji, Belated Mother’s Day Wishes to you too..

    Like many others I too got to know about Mother’s Day only after coming to USA.
    My Mother is my first teacher who is so gentle, sweet and talented and I don’t even remember a single incident where she even raised Her voice on me or my brother.2004 was my First Mother’s Day and luckily my Mom was also here in US with us. So, she baked a cake on that day on wrote on it Maa.. Maa.. Maa.. She explained it to me that my daughter was calling Me, Me my Mom and my Mom my Grand Ma. I really liked that interesting idea.I got her a gift which she loved and we took some nice pics. Later we had our second one and then my husband planned some surprises in these years.And now this year, my baby is 7 and she wished me Happy Mother’s day as soon as I woke up and made 3 lovely cards for me in which included 2 funny coupons that she will complete her dinner without any fuss and she will be always nice to Her lil sister… ha ha ha.. I could not stop thinking that days are really flying and my lil baby started planning things for me involving her baby sister too.. I wished My Mom and Mother-in-law too and shared my happiness with them. So 2004 and 2011 are my Best Mother’s day memories.I wish I would be like my mom one day :).
    Thanks Manjula ji for giving all of us such a nice oppurtunity to revive our sweet memories..

  29. Mother’s day is on May 8th, but i never one realised it as I had a very friendly and comfortable relationship with my mother throughout my life. We used to share our joys and sorrows together, as I was the only daughter with two brothers. Many times instead of my friends my mom and I would go shopping together,do stuff for each other. My mom would encourage me to eat fruits and vegetables, saying that I would get long hair and pink cheeks. The same I tell my daughter now and she tells me this is what grandma had told u and now u have pink cheeks.
    This Mothers day my (daughter turning 7 in June) gave me a coupon booklet. I was amazed from where did she gather the coupons. I opened it and it said on each page
    1) I will read to u everyday
    2) I will help u with your work
    3) I will listen to u.
    4) Will do my homework on time and so on. I was so happy b’cos this coupon booklet does not have an expiration date, but now when i see that she is not doing her work on time,i take the coupon booklet and make a sad face and she gets back to work, which helps me a lot.

  30. Sasmita says:
    May 12,2011 at 12.31pm

    “My mother: my friend and advisor” – Important Person

    In my mind, one of the most important person is my mother. My mother: my friend and advisor. She always said “It doesn’t help when you say it won’t be easy” to teach me not to give up when things get hard. Although she is not my whole life, she is still a big part in my heart. I can’t imagine that how could I live without her.
    When I was junior student, the most detestable subject is mathematics. I am very helpless and I had no way to test well in math. I tried to practice again and again, but it still useless. When my mother knew that I got bad in mathematics, she encouraged me to try patiently and believe myself. Although I was not the best in class, I am responsible for myself.
    One of the important things is how to choose a collage major. It confused me when I chose a department which is my favorite. I told my mother about my idea and she gave me indication about what I should do. We argued about this for many times. After deliberation, I decide to major in Applied English and it is the biggest decision I made so far.
    My mother always says that learning experience from part-time job. Most of things can be learned from book but dealing with people can’t. So my mother supports me to find a job to learn the ways of the world. No matter what kind of job I find, I should take it and try to do my best. Even sometimes I feel tired but I think I got valuable experience more than book.
    My mother is an energetic and strong woman who has given me the right direction of my life. She has a kindly heart to tolerate my mistakes and give me endless love but ask for nothing in return. I can’t find any word to thank everything she has done. I LOVE MY MOTHER SO MUCH.

  31. There is a custom in Bengal to prepare ‘payes'(kheer/payasam) and to offer to God in one’s birthday wishing long and healthy life for him/her.It is believed that, that “prasad’ will save him/her from dangers and will give a good and healthy life. Every year my mom used to make this auspicious sweet ‘payes’ in my and my dad’s birthday. So In my mom’s birthday, I used to make that ‘payes’ for her wishing long blissful life to her. Before my marriage my mom never allowed me to cook because she used to fear that I will endup either cutting my finger or burning my hand.So I was only allowed to prepare the payes and I only knew that before my marriage.But I was very curious about how my mom can cook such a delicious food.She is an excellant cook.so in the kitchen I always paid attention to her cooking and tried to understand the techniques she used to follow to make tasty dishes. After my marriage I moved to a different city in Bengal and as like any other Indian woman developed my cooking skill within a few months.

    Incidentally my mom’s birthday fall on the Mother’s day the next year of my marriage.I was very upset that this year no one will be there to make payes for my mom, because my father does not know how to cook and never tried anything in kitchen. So I planned to give a surprise visit to my mom on that day. My parents knew that I am not going to see them on that day because I already visited them the last month. But I told my husband that I will like to make a surprise visit to my parents and he said he will also like to join me. My husband is from the neighbouring state and his parents used to live in their native place. So we decided to wish my mother-in-law over phone before going to see my parents. I wished my mom happy birthday and happy mother’s day the night before at 12:00 am but still did not give them any indication that I will be going tomorrow.

    The next morning I woke up early, prepared the payes and offered to God wishing long,healthy,blessed life for my mom. Also I cooked my mom’s favorite dish pulav and mutter paneer. We caught the train to our parent’s place and reached there in the afternoon around 1:30 PM. My parents were just preparing to have lunch and we enetered the house. I had never seen my mom so elated and she started crying seeing both of us. I told my mom how I felt bad thinking that no one will be there to prepare payes for her this year and how I cooked payes and other dishes for her. My mom was so happy on that day and she told that I became even a better cook than her:) That Mother’s day was the most memorable mother’s day in my life. I had shown my father how to make payes that year so that in my absence at least he can prepare it for her. This year in mother’s day I was in US and called my mom on that day. After a little chat she again started reminiscing that old mother’s day celebration. It became a sweet memory for both me and my parents.

  32. When I was in India I used to do a lot of things for my mother. I would order flowers and get it delivered at 8am in the morning. there would be a card waiting for her in the kitchen. In the evening either I would take her out for dinner or prepare something special. but the best part would be desert her favorite Rose ice cream.
    After marriage I got shifted to USA and can’t to do a lot of these things but the card and flowers are always there. and I ask my dad to take her out .
    my mom is very dear to me and whenever I get chance I would do this to make her feel special and loved.

  33. Maa , The most amazing and wonderful word in this entire universe …..
    I have become mother last year April 2011, God blessed me with the sweetest gift he has for me My son AARAV…..After Him I realised what a mother is ? My mother is not here she is miles away from me(just physically) I talk to her every morning before starting my work to make my day wonderful and cheerful….She is the best Mom one can have , I pray to God to bless me with the same mother in every life .she is my best friend with whom I can share anything and everything . I just wonder sometime when I was with her i never realised how precious she is to me but now I feel how much she mean to me . I dont have exact words to describe her love for me and mine for her .I wish I could be like her to my kids where my kids can love me as much as I love her …For me there is nothing special on Mothers day because with her immense love whenever I talk to her it is like Mothers day. MOM you mean everything to me … I LOVE YOU …

  34. My 12 months old daughter,I think has given me the best gift she can do at this age.On 7th May,me and my husband just discussing that tomorrow is a”mothers day” and our friends kids are planning something for their mothers.I just looked to my daughter n said sadly that mine will be the regular day because she does not understand all this.After that I gone to the kitchen and she suddenly come n said in her baby voice “kal ka hai”??
    I was so surprised by seeing that she understood that i am sad.It was so touching,then i tell her about the mothers day and tell her, if she starts eating well n finish her food that will be the best gift from her to her mother.I dont know how but she behaved well on Sunday finished her food,milk just like a very very good baby.She behaved like that only on that day,she is back again to her track(not to eat anything) 🙁
    But it was very touching that she understands all that..

  35. Hi!
    I never knew about Mother’s Day until I migrated to the US. It was never celebrated in India or our school or even in the community. I met face to face with motherhood at a very late age in life as a somewhat older mother to twin babies. Thats when motherhood hit me ! Wow!
    My parents live in India and all I can think of on this day, is that I have never done anything amazing for my mother. I would like to change that but I am so far. All I can recall is all the things she has done for me including a travel to US in poor health just to help care for my twins! It is amazing how mother’s can give all of themselves to their kids lifelong. I just wish I could be like her.
    I know that I am not a contender for this contest but this is more like an acknowledgement to the world that I love her and want to change and wish and pray for a amazing opportunity to prove to her that I love her tremendously. There is no one I trust more than her- not even God.

  36. It is still so fresh in my memory, as if it was yesterday. It was a cold wintery morning of October, me (age 10) and my sister (age 8) were both in school, which had just started, and suddenly someone called for both of us at principal’s office. We were bit surprised to see our dad waiting there to take us home and from there to hospital where my mom had been for couple of days. Never had I seen my dad so disheveled and shattered before. The moment I saw him I knew something was seriously wrong, this wasn’t like him. On the way back to home I asked him “What’s wrong dad?”, he was able to pull himself just enough to tell me that “your mom wants to see you all (my youngest brother age 6 was at home), she is being operated”. It was like a thunderbolt on my 10 year old brain, for a moment everything around me froze and I just couldn’t believe what he said.
    My mom had been sick for some time and she was in hospital but she still used to talk to us so normally. Every day we used to visit her and tell her about school, home and how our day went. We used to laugh about how bad dad cooks and how boring it was without her at home. She used to assure us that she will be home soon and everything was ok with her, she just had some “tummy troubles”. But “Operated” and wants to see us before that? It is only then that I realized that how serious my mom was, it is only then I realized how much pain she was in and she wants to see us coz she was not sure what is going to happen next. Once we went to hospital she cried and hugged all 3 of us, she told me to take care of my brother and sister and be nice to them. I asked dad what is going to happen and all he could tell me is “we don’t know, the doctors say that we will try their best but they don’t know if she will be able to make it”. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, this can’t be true, my mom can’t go away like this, she promised she would be at home soon… tears filled my eyes and I still couldn’t cry coz mom had told me to be strong. I went to the nearby bathroom and wept. I just couldn’t believe I would no longer see my mom! Life ahead was so long to imagine without her and my 10 year shoulders weren’t strong enough to take that burden. I felt as if suddenly I had grown up and had this stark reality in front of me which I was not able to accept. How could we live without her? Every night she used to tuck us to bed and every morning she would wake us up with warm hugs and kisses even though we were much beyond that “cuddly age”. I couldn’t imagine my mornings without this warm touch, I just wanted to fight with God for being so cruel. My heart was filled with a strange lonely feeling and I all I wanted to do is run back to the room and hug her tightly so that doctors wouldn’t take her away from us. But we had to leave immediately, the operation lasted for couple of hours and we were sent home coz kids were not allowed to be in hospital for so long time. My younger sister and brother also understood that something was wrong, we didn’t talk to each other on the way back home.

    We reached home, where our grandmother(mom’s mom) was waiting for us, I asked them grandma is there any way we can bring her back? You must know something. She looked at me with watery eyes, patted me and told me just pray to God with all your heart and he will send your mom back. I and my sister immediately sat in front of our “mandir” and started praying to God. We took out “Gayatri Chalisa” that my mom used to recite everyday and tried to recite in the same manner hoping Maa Gayatri would listen to us. We also “secretely” confessed to God that we haven’t been very good kids sometimes and if that was the reason he was taking our mom away from us, we promise to be the best ones from now onwards. We will not ask for anything that mom doesn’t like even if it was having ice cream or playing till late evening. We also promised God that we will help her with household chores and will not watch TV for a long time. We promised Him to do whatever our mom wants if only he could send her back. And as if he heard us, dad came in the evening and said that my mom was “alive” after the surgery and doctors were bit optimistic about her. We went to see her next day and I couldn’t believe what I saw, she was so pale and tired and all covered with bandages, there were syringes on her hands and there were blood bottles all around. Her eyes were closed and she was still, my heart almost skipped a beat and I thought we had lost her. She was not talking as before, nor was she smiling at us. But then as if she sensed that we were around and she opened her eyes, weekly smiled at us as if telling us “ I am back for all of you”… I felt as if all our prayers had been listened and God had truly granted her a new life. All three of us smiled back to her with watery eyes and we all remember that moment till today no matter how young we were. Though we wanted to hug her and kiss her but we could only touch her.

    Later in life, I understood how complicated her case was and it was only a medical miracle that her surgery was successful. Not only me but all 3 of us would have thanked God so many times for saving her and Yes indeed we became very good kids as we promised to God.

    This March my mom celebrated her 59th Birthday and is “Nani” to a 10 month old grand daughter whom she adores like anything. When I look back at my life, I owe so many things to my mom who has been the rock of our family. No matter how worse the times were she never lost her faith in God, in life and us. She is the one who taught us to be brave and strong no matter what life gives you. It is from her that we have learnt that you can find happiness in every little thing that you do, it is from her that we have learnt that happiness is not the result of good circumstances but good attitude in life. It is from her that we have learnt that as a human being the greatest strength that you have is love endlessly and selflessly. No words are enough to Thank her for what she has given us in life. I owe her not only my life but my soul. Thank You Mom.

  37. It is unbelievable , i got a mother’s day gift myself from the Divine itself !! I tested positive for pregnancy test today and this is my first baby !

    I have been blessed with 3 wonderful moms,
    My mother whom i call ‘Mummy’, my mother-in-law whom i call ‘Ma’, and last and not the least my darling husband who takes care of me like a mother when we are alone togther in this foreign land and whom i lovingly call ‘Mumma’!

    My biggest fear about marriage was the often villainized Mother-in-laws. But God took care of it , and i was blessed to have a most adorable Mother as my mom-in-law and i can’t thank here enough for giving me the most loving life partner i could dream of.

    The biggest gift we can give our mothers is to carry their legacy forward , to nuture good human beings just like they wanted us to be always.

    So on mother’s day i besides giving them the good news of them becoming Grandparents, i have decided the Novel of short stories that i will be publishing will be dedicated to my two adorable mothers.

    Anything we may do for them is just a small token and I know my mothers will get most happiness when they see their children are able to realize there dreams.

    And for my ‘Mumma’ that is my Hubby, the biggest gift will be that of our baby to come!

  38. My husband and I always give a mother’s brunch for all mother’s on both side of the family. It has become a family tradition.

    Before the meal, I always give a little speech pertaining to the strength, love and sacrifices all mother’s have in common and how thankful and lucky we all can be together

    Our meal usually consists of, Belgium waffles, home fries, sausages and bacon, quiches, muffins and mini quick-breads, fruit salad, pasta salad, orange juice, sangria or mimosas. We have coffee, tea and a variety of spring time desserts such as strawberry cheesecake, strawberry trifle, raspberry fool, and of course a chocolate dessert too.etc

    The older grandmothers always get a wrist corsage to wear.

    After the meal all the mother’s receive thoughtful small token presents from their daughters and family

    Photos are always taken and emailed to all so we can all remember our wonderful time together!

  39. The year 2004 was very special for my family.On mother’s day I called mom and said Congratulation!!! My mom said what ? you mean to say” Happy mother’s day “. I said no and again I said Congratulation !!You are about to become grandmother (nani)..and she started screaming with joy and telling everybody in my family Swati is going to have a baby!!! My whole family was so happy as they were becoming grandparents for the first time. And I did the same to my mother-in -law ,her reaction was the same like my mom . We all were so happy that day 🙂 My mom said” This is the best Mother ‘s day Gift I can imagine God bless u!!!”

  40. Every year on Mother’s Day, me nd my mom used to spend the whole day together..I used to get her a gift..Invariably sarees coz she loved them the most…then go out for shopping,lunch….

    My mom was a humble soul and helped many people in need throughout her life…..
    This is the first time my mom is not here with me to celebrate this special day..She passed away 10 months back…..The biggest tragedy in my life….
    So this yr,I have decided to give donation to an Orphanage in my mother’s name and help them in what ever little way I can….

    My mom has always been the greatest source of strength nd inspiration to me…I miss her beyond any words or feelings can describe….

    So everybody out there ,plz let ur mothers know how special they r nd they deserve the very best in life…

    I luv u mom….

  41. My mother is a single mother since 15 years. All for of us ( My mom, Sister, brother and myself) have been very close with each other. So when Me and My sister left home for further studies, it was very difficult for all of us. My sister lives in Delhi and I have been living in France since 3 years now,First for studies and then for job. it had already been more than a year since I saw my family Last year around November I told her that I am going to cancel my preplanned trip to India as I want to save on money. She was disappointed but supported my decision. Although I felt that she really was missing me and was looking forward to my December trip. So I decided not to cancel it and give her a surprise. My sister lives in Delhi (we live around 70 km from Delhi in UP). So i told my plan to my brother and sister. On Dec 25, 2010. My boy friend picked me up from the airport and later we picked up my sister. So first My boy friend gave her a surprise by saying that he decided to bring my sister home as she was missing family. My mother was very delighted. While she was still enjoying my sisters surprise visit from Delhi, I entered from the back door and said ‘Mamma’. She was frozen for at least 2 minutes and started weeping (tears of joy of course). I think That was one of the best moments of our family get together.

  42. While I was growing up, I used to buy a gift for my Mom on the mother’s day thinking this time she will like it and I will not have to back and return it. I would always buy something that she mentions that she needed it, small things like rice cooker or a blender, etc. Just like any desi Mom, my mom would shower me with a huge lecture on why did I waste so much money and how I didn’t wait for the sale to come and so on. So for many years I attempted to please her and eventually gave up. Until that one year when I saw my parents struggling to make ends meet financially while I was living with them and going to college. My mom never asked me for money or to help out with bills at home because I was a girl. According to them, it was not ok to take money from a girl, especially the daughter. I didn’t believe in that and no matter how much I would convince them, they would say we can manage. So one day I came home after picking up the mail and saw couple of the bills. The next day I decided to go and pay the utility bills without telling her. She thought my Dad had paid the bills and my Dad thought my Mom had. When the Mother’s day came by (same month as her birthday) she said, “I see you learned your lesson on not wasting money on buying gifts and all this year” I just smiled at her and never mentioned anything about where that “gift” money went 🙂

    1. When we grow older and live far away from our matri-bhoomi and meet people of a different culture we come to realise what our BHARATEEYA MOTHERS really are!
      Our mothers and fathers sacrifice everything for their children without any expectation from us.They do everything for the betterment of children and never ever think about themselves!!!
      In fact SRI SRI ADISHANKARACHARYA says in a Sanskrit Mantra that a son (or daughter) could be bad but never ever a mother!!!
      KUPUTRO (KUPUTRI) JAYET KVACHIDAPI KUMAATA NA BHAVATI

      Let us ALL DESIS (as you have called your mother ) remain DESIS and follow their example of being the BEST MOTHERS and FATHERS.That is why in our SANSKRITI we follow – MATRI DEVO BHAVA,
      PITRA DEVO BHAVA,
      ACHARYA DEVO BHAVA &( LASTLY BUT NOT LIGHTLY)
      ATITHI DEVO BHAVA!!!
      ARE WE ALL NOT GREATLY FORTUNATE TO HAVE/HAVE HAD SUCH GODLY PARENTS!!!
      SHATA SHATA NAMASKAARS TO SUCH MOTHERS & FATHERS!!!

      AND FOR US UNLIKE THE WEST ,WE DO NOT HAVE JUST ONE DAY IN A YEAR TO SALUTE OUR MOTHERS – WE BEGIN EACH DAY WITH THIS PRAYER OF DEVOTION AND GRATITUDE TO OUR MOTHERS & FATHERS & PRAYERS FOR THEIR LONG LIFE AND GOOD HEALTH.

      Let us continue this SANATANA DHARMIC SANSKRITI !

      1. I agree with what you are saying, nor I meant to put my words (desi mom) in a negative way (in case you are offended) I am a proud mom of two myself and teach my kids the same traditional values I learnt from my mother while I was growing up. During that though time mentioned in my original post, I was a teenager with little to no responsibility. So, understanding the deep Factual philosophy of the value of giving unconditional love to your kids was no way near the sight until I became a parent myself. I am proud to have been brought up in a family oriented traditional cultured family and I also value and appreciate my mother for everything she has done and is doing for not just me but for each and every single person in my family. I agree, One should not need a festival to appreciate one being and that is why I try to do things for my mom on regular basis, one being– just saying thank you on a random day 🙂

  43. My mom lives 1300 miles away, so we don’t get to spend the day together. But I always send her a big bouquet of flowers every year. My mom loves fresh flowers, and I know she loves receiving flowers. Now that I have my own kids, I always send flowers along with a photo of the kids.

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