This Mothers’ Day with Cliff’s mum for the first time is special to me, because it’s about celebrating a woman I so look up to very much, and who has become a new mother to me.
Since we arrived in Canada and stepped into her home, her love and hospitality has restored our weariness and fatigue which had been accumulating for months; Since we came here, her seemingly effortless whipping up of one delicious dinner after another after a full day of work has touched our hearts ( “Don’t worry, I’m not entertaining you, I just like to cook!); Since we set foot into her home, she has never failed to amaze me with her sense of detail to our every need- preparing sweaters for me when the temperature dips, stocking the house with our favorite fruits, even planning family outings according to what she finds out from Cliff about what I like.
Her support for us to “go finish what God has called you to do in Africa” in spite of her natural worries as a mother has encouraged us deeply and warmed our hearts.
Most of all, I am in awe of this woman who raised a man like Cliff, so confidently and calmly, even through his childhood cancer. According to my father-in-law, she never fussed or was overly anxious about the surgical outcome, simply believing that Cliff would survive through the 10-hour ordeal. And survive and thrive he did.
She is a woman who I can definitely claim to be everybody’s dream mother-in-law, the one who held my hands when she first saw me in person on our wedding day, saying, “Thank you for marrying my son!”
Happy Mothers’ Day, Mum.
Thank you for raising a man like Cliff, who changed my life.
