Jeepney Press: Remembering My Mother's Prayer

An Everyday Lesson

by Marilyn Rivera

“A mother is she who can take the place of all other but whose place no one else can take.” – Cardinal Meymillod

Celebrating the heroines of our life, Mother’s Day has become more than just a day to spend with your own family. It is also a day that floods our heart with delicate memories of the person who loved us unconditionally. This past Mother’s Day has stroked an empty space in my heart as always. She gave me life, prepared me for life, and showed me what life is meant to be.

Many of our relatives would say that she may have lived a short life but she had lived her life to the fullest. She took care of us seven children with no hired help at all. She was a hands-on mom who dedicated her life in rearing us in the best way possible. She would go out of her way just to help relatives and friends and would never expect anything in return. She donated to charities and let us witness and take part in helping people in all walks of life through her gentleness and soft-spoken words.

Life is not only the sweet filling inside. The first bite on a filled-bread you would not yet reach the center. You would be clueless on what bread you have until you reach the very core and finally taste that sweet filling inside. My mother made sure that we understand that life is not only about rewards, but it is our way getting to it and getting through it. And be appreciative that we were given bread instead of getting none at all.

“Ano yun palaman mo ngayon?” she would ask me and my siblings every morning when we came down the stairs. Normally, she would sense our hesitation to go to school if there were presentations in class or if there were exams. And if I say, I would want liver spread. She would say to take it with mayo and cheese. Then she would have it toasted in the oven. And if I say, I just wanted juice. She would serve it with small bits of apple and oranges making it a breakfast on its own. She taught me that it is up to us how we make something out of our life. She would always say that we deserve more than what we want or get. We just need to trust in Him that His way is the only way and the best way. Happiness is making nothing into something and cherishing it. She used to say that it is beyond the vacations that we take out of town, more than what we eat on the table and a lot more than the clothes we wear. Life is helping your siblings with something and not expecting something in return.

Part of life is selfless giving. You are happy when the people around you who you care about are happy. And you can feel contentment in your heart by helping people who needs it the most and placing this experience as one of your valuable accomplishments. Life plays a role in helping the poor. Being able to help and giving it without any attachment is a gift and should be passed down to your children.

To most of us, all of our mothers are our superhero. For me, my mother was not. She was not perfect, she was not strong all the time and she did not save me when I needed her. But she was the best mother in my eyes. She was what I needed and God knew that. She showed me her flaws so that I can learn from them. She showed me her weaknesses to tell me that our weakness is not what defines us. She did not save me all the time because she wanted me to learn how to save myself and how to save others. She prayed for my happiness. She prayed for me to have a life that I can say that I have lived my life. Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.

And through her, I saw what the world can offer and saw every possibilities and greatness that I am and the distance that I can reach. Life is limitless. It has no boundaries and has no manuals. You act at will and act with heart. She showed me kindness, love and compassion that my whole town cannot level with. And every time I see her in my mind, I know God lend me an angel on Earth to guide me and hone me in the best way He knows possible. For this, I am forever grateful. To our Mothers in Heaven, you are our every day angels.