Parents & Time

Me – ‘Hi Mom, how are you?’

Mom – ‘Hi, I was waiting for you call yesterday’

Me – ‘Ah… why?’

Mom- - ‘Well, yesterday was your weekly holiday and you usually call on that day’

She had been waiting for my call. Suddenly, realization hit me. Parents look forward  and wait for their children to call or visit them. Their lives, even after children grow up, revolve around them but in a different way.

But how much time and thought do WE give our parents other than what is duty bound?

Do our lives revolve around theirs?

I am not insinuating that we do not appreciate them or love them. It is the time factor. How much TIME do we give our parents?

The sentence - ‘Well, yesterday was your weekly holiday and you usually call on that day’ changed me.  Thereafter, I made it a point to call every weekly holiday and once or twice during the week too. As I live far away, I made sure that I visited them every long holiday to spend some quality time with them as it is no point rushing to them when it is too late.

My father had been ill for a few years and the last quality time I spent with him was 25 days in hospital. He passed away four days after I arrived home. I thank God that I was able to spend that time with him or else I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. I am weeping every time I see his picture. Everyone has to go one day and that’s inevitable BUT it is difficult to come to terms that they are really no more.

As the saying goes, it will be your time one day and I am already there. I am a mother of grown up kids. I find myself constantly thinking of them & waiting to hear from them.  I go into frenzy if I have not for more than three days. They can’t fathom my panic and ask me how many times I call my mom and now I firmly say ‘every week and sometimes several times a week.

Can we ever re-pay our parents for what they have given, done & sacrificed for  us?  NO.

The least we can do is give them TIME, a  patient hearing and let them know that we care and are there for them at all times.

 I am glad that I realized before it was too late and I hope those who have not will realize it sooner than later as parents and kids are precious.