Mother

(Ma, Moeder, Nene, Ahm, Matka, Maika, Mae, Maika, Maminka, Mor, Moer, Ema, Ina, Aiti, Mere, Mutter, Mitera, Manman, Maii, Anya, Mamma, Induk, Okaasan, Mater, Motina, Ibu, Madr, Pabbo, Mama, Madre, Tina, Majka, Mami, Mzazi, Morsa, Anne, Ammee, Me, Mam, Muter)

A Tribute to Mothers and Mother Figures Everywhere

By Azra Clark

A mother can mean so many different things…
In a world of languages
Roles
Impacts
And stories
“Mother” is constant yet ever-changing. Universal yet so very individual.

My mother taught me that every perspective is individual. That united we may stand but quietly many fall. My mother taught me that a story has many more sides than a cube; that, though people might form patterns, there is always an outlier. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words but as a self-identified book nerd I can tell you that a thousand words is barely enough to form a chapter, let alone finish a book. And yet, all the words in the world would struggle to adequately describe my mother. I can tell you that, despite the unfathomable capacity of art to connect and explore, all the paintings in the world could never really capture every perspective of the 7,862,261,054 people on this earth. No matter how much art we have or stories we tell, we may never capture or understand everyone. But my mother taught me to try.

My mother taught me that love is a damn confusing word. To love, to be in love, to show love… Descriptions of love are sometimes hard to ground, like a television erratically broadcasting through the static. My mother taught me that love is to fight with each other, for each other. That love is in the willingness to apologise infinitely and forgive equally. My mother showed me love through mutual vulnerability in the acceptance of our shortcomings. Somehow, love can be perfect even if the human’s ability to show it is not.

I asked the students of Launceston about their own mothers. Their replies showed me an incredible world people who shaped a generation of children.
The mother who:
Stands up for what she believes in: like a paint gun, leaving a splatter of colour wherever she goes.
Gives the greatest hugs. Quick witted and intellectual. A teddy bear… where she is, comfort and security reside.
Always turns up, for moments big and small. She is like a child’s art creation of such sentimental value. She is and she will be.
Lives her life with overflowing gratitude and a positive attitude. An ocean of joy in worlds of those in her life.

For some, a mother is sadly absent.

The job of a mother is beautiful, and I can only begin to imagine how infinitely scary, too: to teach a human being about a world that you yourself continue to learn about each day. So, to the mothers of all perspectives, personalities and walks of life…
Thank you.