
I have been catching my mother from unique angles, basking in the glory of seeing her live those quiet, powerful lessons of motherhood only through words but also through actions that have shaped me into who I am today. I would probably never understand in full, but watching her, I have learnt that motherhood defines the strongest and the greatest possible expression of love and strength.
A Different Form of Strength
As a child, I believed that one had to shout to show one’s strength; I even included standing proud at the podium as a superhero or leader. My mother taught me, however, that strength was often a whisper. It was burning the midnight oil to finish work and waking at dawn for breakfast. It’s stopping tears from being strong for your child. It’s walking into every challenge with a blank map and still figuring out a way through.
Softly carrying her burdens, making sacrifices I wouldn’t understand until I grew older, never seeking recognition, mother showed me that tender strength exists along with a steady hand. And in little ways, it can be woven into the fabric of the day.
Beyond Differences
My mother’s love was always ‘home’. It was an everlasting, warm place where I could curl up and die in peace. I did not realize how truly unconditional my mother’s love was until I grew older. Even through the times I messed up, shut her out, or took her for granted, my mother never wavered in her love. She loved me through every visage of those that even I did not like very much.
She taught me that love is not a feeling but that love is a commitment-you show up when there are times when it is least convenient. You listen when you are running on empty. It gives when your cup is all but empty.
Her Sacrifices — I Never Paid Much Attention Until Later
There were things she gave up—so quietly and without complaint—that I have since learned to recognize. Dreams postponed. Needs postponed. Parts of herself were locked away so I could grow up with freedom and confidence. But never, ever, did she make me feel as if I were a burden. She gave selflessly, totally, without a thought of returning the favor or expecting it.
That’s a rare kind of love, I’m learning; the kind that just gives even when it’s not being seen.
She Taught Me Strength OF Softness
My mother taught me to find strength in softness at a time when being hard was what most people had to hear. In how she forgives easily. In the way she comforts me when this world feels heavy. In how I’ve seen her handle life when everything is a mess. Not just told me how to be kind; she lived it.
Her Legacy to Me
Being a mother meant a change for her, but also made me who I am. She modeled for me the kind of woman I would grow up to be: one who loves, leads, and knows how to rise time and time again; one who would pick love, no matter how tough it could be; one who finds strength in softness; and one who leads with her heart.
I may never fully understand all that she has experienced in her life or the level of her love, but her lessons are with me every day. And that is her gift of motherhood that continues to give long after the moments have passed.

Shared by: Yashika Arora,
PR Lead