Mother’s day is every second, minute and hour of each day

Every mother has a special story.  The common theme is always stories littered with love.  A mother’s love knows no bounds.  Every child should set aside a few minutes of each day to celebrate and reflect on the special things their mother has brought into their life.

Born on 25th December on the little artificial island of Niuleni in the Lau Lagoon, Malaita Province, Aedalyn was the first of 6 children born to Misifea, a fisherman and his wife Masiala.  She lived most of her early life on the island before coming to live with her relatives in what is now called the Fishing Village.  She said it was education that brought her to town but it was love that ended her dreams of a better education at Betikama.

Every child has a special soft spot for their mothers.  I am no exception.  My mother is special because she taught me humility, honesty and trust.  In the toughest of times, she persevered because she would accept her fate with humility, dealt each problem with honesty and continues to have an enduring trust in humanity’s ability to become better.

As a young child, I remembered many of my mum’s friends going on trips to Australia, New Zealand and neighboring Pacific Island countries.  As she spoke of their trips, you can tell that deep in her heart she desperately wanted to be a part of those adventures too. But it was always difficult.  Later she admitted it would have been selfish of her to go because putting food on the table was her priority.  Giving her all for each of her children was more important then her own heart’s desire.

Aside from living in Papua New Guinea in 1985 & 1986, mum had never been outside of the country.

Mum laughs about the fact that it was not until she retired from full time employment that she finally got to travel.  She started slow, returning to Papua New Guinea in 2000.  Then Vanuatu in 2003, then Fiji in 2004 and then finally in 2007, she traveled to Brisbane and to finally make it to Australia seemed like her ultimate dream had come true.  But in 2011, she made the longest trip of her life; she came to Geneva, Switzerland.

The trip left a profound impression on her; it was as if there was nothing else to dream and want in this life.  She declared, “This must really be heaven” when she gazed at the Swiss Alps, the flowers in Spring and the sprawling lakes on a train ride to Zurich.  Her watch, until last year, is still set to Geneva time and she quickly explained, “..whenever I see the time, I try and imagine what you and your children are doing.  It keeps me close to your family”.

She happily tells two stories about her European adventure.  The first is about a conversation she had on the Brisbane to Honiara leg of her trip from Geneva.  She was seated next to an expat who asked if she had just been to a conference in Brisbane.  She quickly replied, “No, I just come back from Geneva.”  Taken aback the lady asked, “…what were you doing in Geneva?”, to which my mum proudly replied, “I was there to visit my grandchildren!”

The second story is about the her small collection of Migros shopping bags.  She was stopped at the Central Market in Honiara by another expat who asked her where she got her bag.  With a big smile she replied, “I got this after shopping at Migros in Geneva”.

She is a star among her peers and her face still lights up whenever she recollects her trip to Europe.

My mum keeps me firmly rooted to the ground.  In a crowd, she would just be another Solomon Islander and little is known of the pain, the grief and at times heartache she endured.  Little is known of how much she sacrificed to raise a medical doctor, a lawyer, a software developer and a marine biologist.  I could never wish nor desire anything more then to be blessed with being given a mum whose simple life is the essence of what humanity should be; humble, forgiving and honest.

She faced life’s challenges with the steadfast hope that one day things will be better.  She has not become any richer but the sense of satisfaction she gets by seeing her children succeed and love her in return is worth more then a million dollars.