Of Sadness and Strength

Of Sadness and Strength

I have been out of action lately. Every time I think of updating my blog, something holds me back.

My routine has been just about the same, a tad busier but not too much to pen a few words. I have also been preoccupied, but not overly so. Fading sunshine and drizzling skies have been a mood dampener since October began, but not enough to keep the writing bug away.

No, it has been something else. Someone has been on my mind, a strong woman; a sad mother. Since the day I read that piece of unfortunate news, it has stayed with me. And after that, every time I think of an addition to my blog, I can’t seem to go beyond that piece of story. A couple of times, I even tried to write something, put it on the blog, but it felt wrong and inadequate to share anything else on a mommy blog before I wrote about this mother who has been in my prayers every day.

Finally, today, I made up my mind to write about it, if not for anything else, to get it out on paper and resume with my blog.

The mother I talk about is barely an acquaintance. She worked for the same company as my husband when I met her for the only time way back in the year 2008. She invited a couple of people over to her ranch for a common friend’s baby shower.  We spent the whole afternoon there playing games, eating a lot of delicious food and exploring the farm. My daughter who was two and half years old that time tried to feed the chicken and even enjoyed a pony ride. The host appeared to be very warm, friendly and helpful. We came back home with fond memories of the day.

Now, almost a month and a half back, my husband told me about a tragic accident at that farm. A toddler fell into the duck pond and nearly drowned. The mother in question and the lady who had us over for the baby shower had put up a face book page with all the details and I quickly logged on to read about it. Tears welled up and kept falling as I read through the whole episode. In an unfortunate accident, her 2 year old son fell into the duck pond and by the time she found him, a lot of damage had been done.

Initially, when I read about her and the son, I felt sad, just like any mother does. We feel the pain of another mother to a certain extent. In this case, since I had met the mother once and found her to be very nice, it affected me a little more. But as days passed and I kept reading her updates, it touched my heart to see how earnestly she continued to fight for her son, to bring him back. In the middle of this tragedy in her life, she pushed back her pain and went after her son’s treatment with a vengeance. In one of her posts, she writes that her family jokes and calls her a nurse because she knows as much these days. When I look at her picture cuddling the toddler who doesn’t recognize her anymore, a lump rises in my throat.

We come across many tragic incidents, sad occurrences that move us. We read or listen about them, ponder for a minute and forget all about it the next morning. But there is something about this mother that refuses to be just another piece of news. Maybe it is her “what next or what more can I do” attitude that is unforgettable or maybe it is the way she is trying to reach out to families who have been in similar situations and at the same time research every possible cure, be it alternative medicine, massages, oils, reading, cuddling or a religious ritual that makes me applaud her. Whatever she is doing, she is definitely not giving up and simply accepting the fate pronounced by the doctors for her son.

I can only imagine how hard it must be for her to see her son in such a condition on one hand and still keep on trying and hoping that things would change someday soon. I am surprised she can actually think rationally and find suggestions to give.

I am not going to write anymore other than that I salute her for being the pillar of strength and an inspiration to every single mother.

You can read about her son’s condition on “Connor updates” on facebook. I am sure she can use all the support she gets.