‘Mother never made me realise we were actually poor’

Daughters on how their enduring yet resilient mothers shaped their lives

Morung Express News
Kohima | May 13

 “Though illiterate, my mother never fails to impart wisdom,” Neitele Mero says of her 80-year-old mother, who has been her role model in many ways as she describes her in bountiful words- “She's a beautiful, prayerful woman of God. She is a personification of wisdom and integrity; a workaholic and a fervent lover of Christ. She is very unassuming, a good financier and is never broke.”

Mero’s father passed away 19 years ago, but she still considers him the coolest man she had ever known—somebody who spoke very less, worked hard, was honest, super creative, stylish and empathetic. “His gifted hands earned me A’s in school handicraft. He laboured as a daily wager in the school I studied to pay off my fees. Even when faced with discrimination, my parents were never bitter about it, but chose to forgive and pray. Though both of them were not officers or famous for big deeds, they are heroes to me for all the little nameless honest sacrificial acts,” she goes on to say. 

As for her mother Neicü-ü (Nitu) Mero, “every time I come to her with my heartaches and grievances of people ill-treating me, she would quote verses from the Bible of "giving the other cheek" and of loving our enemies. Her childlike faith is what sets her apart and strengthens me.”

Neitele’s parents are blessed with 21 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Even as the youngest child in the family, she is aware that her parents had to sacrifice a lot to raise her and her siblings- all eight of them. “Mother made sure to meet all my needs and wants and never made me realise we were actually poor,” she relates to The Morung Express.

“I got to have the fancy things my rich friends had and received the best education. She cultivated extra acres of land and excelled in farming. I fondly remember how, on weekdays, she would leave with a basket filled with vegetables to sell door to door and when she returned, I would run to the gate to receive her and the packet of "ring rotis" she brought every single time-without a miss. It breaks my heart to remember how, for 3 or 4 times, she had to carry piglets in baskets on her back all the way from Laii village (that falls under Manipur state) to sell at Pfütsero,” she further recounts.

Of all the things she has done, Neitele feels “the quality time I spend with her and the attention I give her is what makes her the happiest” even as she goes on to add that, “the seemingly-silly  things I do with her - sharing about my day's events, sitting on her lap, painting her nails, grooming her, watching her favourite TV shows together and explaining who's who and what's what, taking wefies with filters, etc., make her feel loved and important.”

On the occasion of Mother’s Day, she expresses, “I owe all the good that I have and am able to do today to my mom, and I tell this to her every time we pray together- that her childlike faith in God is what lifts me up each time I'm down. Her prayers give me strength and her life is priceless gift to me. God's love for me is demonstrated through my mother.”

For Theyiesinuo Keditsu, more popularly known as 'Mekhalamama', some of the lessons her mother taught her and are still applicable in her life are to, “live within your means and be a good steward of what you own” and also “to take yourself seriously & invest in yourself - whether physical, spiritual, intellectual or social” even as she goes on to say that her mother taught her the importance of improving and enriching oneself.

She goes on to describe her mother as “magnanimous in spirit as she is minute in person.” Substantiating to this, she says, “the word that comes to mind to describe her is an old fashioned one, long suffering - her intense & unwavering faith in God has seen her not only survive great tribulations but also grow in grace & wisdom. I’m so grateful & proud to be her daughter.”

As a mother herself today, she puts across that, “I have learnt that each motherhood experience is unique - being a mother has taught me deep appreciation for my mother and all mothers.”