Nothing Can Afford A Mother’s Love.

_Latricia Matanda

Mother’s Day is a celebration to honor motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. As we celebrate the powerful women in our lives this May, it was only fitting for me to dedicate an article to my mother (the woman I know so well). A strong African figure whose shadow still follows me. I know some of the stories narrated will echo with a lot of you as it might seem that these women might have borrowed “a how to raise our children manual from each other”.

My early childhood memories with “Mhamha” are often blur, as my mind takes a quick curve to the streets where I often spend my afternoons playing games from “Hwishu” to “Mahumbwe” . I must highlight how I dominated Mahumbwe, I was often picked to be the mother and I would subconscious portray some of the traits I had watched mhamha display.

The Mahumbwe chores were endless, from making porridge for the children in the early morning, to washing the dishes and of course the constant cleaning of our play house. I became a younger version of mhamha, and that is how much influence she has had on me. Of course mhamha nestled me, changed my diapers and constantly thought of what I needed before I even knew it. Her love was so easily felt and difficult to portray, no wonder they refer to it as “mother’s love”.

As I grew older I began to understand mhamha’s prominent role. I often refer to her as a tree that is deeply rooted and for years has manage to offer shade on extremely hot days and give fruits in times of need.

I now understand the love in the beating she gave me, even though in those moments it felt like torture. Money can buy a lot of things, but nothing can afford a mother’s love.

To all the mother’s out there: Even when you sometimes don’t feel like it, you are strong.

You carry our world on your shoulders and make it look easy. You are beautiful because we are mirror images of you. You are bright because you light up every moment.