An Open Letter To Mothers To Say ‘Thank You’
Dear Mother,
Today is the day we celebrate every individual who has chosen to be a mother.
It does not matter if you were assigned female at birth or if your children are biological or adopted — whether you are raising a family in a plush penthouse or a ramshackle hut; whether the lives you are nurturing are human or animal. What matters is the love and determination with which you bear the responsibility you have chosen as your own.
Every day, you stretch your boundaries to reach beyond yourself and work towards a future for those whose lives you hold in your hands. The journey is never easy, and the road has more bumps than smooth stretches, where you must learn to navigate every turn without any preparation. You are your own worst critic and question your ability at every step.
You are a Mother, and when needed, you are a Father too. You kiss the scraped knee to make it all better and then step out to work and put food on the table. You are there to soothe a broken heart and to celebrate every success, big or small. You are there at every step of the way to make things easier.
This Mother’s day, we want to reach out to you wherever you are to tell you that your labour of love is treasured and applauded.
We see you strive to build a world full of love and laughter, holding it up on your untiring shoulders, and we are thankful for all that.
We see you as you pull a stringy borrowed blanket over an orphan shivering in the bitter cold, you warm our hearts with hope that every destitute has welcoming arms waiting. You work through a quagmire of challenges to ensure hungry bellies are filled.
A mother’s love knows no gender and no species. Fur-babies, you bottle-feed and wrap in your old T-shirt, thrive in the warmth of your embrace. We see you shielding an abandoned nest, protecting it from the wind during the storm… we see you kneeling in the mud to pull an injured kitten out of a rut, and we are assured that humanity exists.
Who says you have to be a woman to be a mother! We see you choose a role that was not assigned to you at birth — a gender not assigned to you at birth and make it your own with empathy and compassion.
The little girl you adopted from the orphanage is a life you saved from reaching the brothel. The little boy you sponsored education for is one less arm that extends for alms on the signal. The little pup you rescued from the drain runs to you, wagging its tail, and the little bird you nurtured is soaring high in the sky. You have been the wind under their wings and happiness in their eyes.
Thank you for the unconditional love you shower on your children born in your womb or heart. For being a confidant, a friend, a defender, and a guide at every age and stage in life for your little ones. Thank you for filling little minds with a lifetime of memories that celebrate the special bond of mom and child.
This Mother’s Day, we salute the grit and compassion of all mothers — you inspire us all round the year!
Yours truly,
Team Donatekart
