There is no job as thankless and selfless than that of a mother.
On my Facebook today, I thanked my mother for giving me the gift of life and for always being there for me. My mother is an incredible person who sacrificed a very comfortable life in India, but gave up to raise her four children in the land of the opportunity. As an immigrant, my mom worked double shifts for minimum wage, took 2-3 public transits to get to work and worked around the clock to make ends meet. No matter how tired she was, she always had time to spend with me, making my favorite meals, mending my cloths and keeping tabs on my studies. My favorite part – she would tell me the stories of my birthplace. For all the above reasons, and always for being there when I need her, I am eternally thankful to my mom. (Happy Mother’s Day, Mom).
As they say, lucky are those who have one mom. I consider myself blessed as I had my grandmother and she played a special role of a mother as well in my life. Even though she is no longer with us, I still feel her presence around me. I often told her too, that a mother’s job was the most thankless job ever. My grandmother would laugh upon hearing this and would respond something similar to what Barbara Streisand once said, ‘people who make people are the luckiest people in the world’.
As an immigrant family, my parents hustled to make ends meet. I came to America when I was just 4. My grandmother became my caretaker, my sole companion at home when everyone was gone to school or work. We simply connected and become best of friends. She always told me to follow my heart and chase my dreams till they came true. Exactly 12 years later, I dropped out of high school to start my venture – to do just that. As I recall all the special things in my life, the memories of my childhood with my grandmother are the most special – for in those years she taught me the meaning of true love for humanity. She always has and always will be my role model. She taught me to believe in ‘me’ and instilled the belief that I could do achieve anything so long as I had the willingness to dream.
A couple years back, Entrepreneur.com, interviewed me. I did a Q&A with the publication for a ‘Mother’s Day Special’ series. That interview was reflection opportunity for me – of my childhood and stories of the most influential women in my life. I shared my story of the matriarch of my family and her influence in my life. In this video, I shared my grandmother’s unflinching support, propelling me to turn obstacles into opportunities in every business venture.
With this, I take the opportunity to wish my mother, sisters, and all female colleagues – a very Happy Mother’s Day. As they say, a world without mothers would be a hollow place.
You can see the video below.
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