A Mother’s Day Memory by Priyanka Swamy

"Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws." - by Barbara Kingsolver.

It would surprise most if not many that Mother's Day has been celebrated in India for a long time. Here in the United States, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill into law declaring the second Sunday of May as Mother's Day, the world took notice.

And why not? For all that they do for us, sacrifice for us and give to us in equal measures of love and support, this is one day that we celebrate and honor mothers and mother figures for their love and contributions to their families and society. But more than that, motherhood is a promise: for us to give to our children more than we were given. 

Growing up in India, my own Mom grew up in a time and culture in which sports and an active lifestyle for little girls had limited opportunities when it came to athletics. Once married and after myself and my brother came along, her fascination with sports was instilled into us at an early age. She preached its virtues, instilling us to embrace sports as part of a healthy lifestyle. Nonetheless, from running to other athletic sports, we tried multiple types of sports and for me they became an escape, something to test and challenge myself…building character and discipline.

One sport that I've fallen in love with all these years and miles later here in America with my own family is pickleball. Easy to learn at any age, it's a wonderfully fun and social sport. When my Mom comes to visit, she'll watch my daughter and I play, a bonding exercise uniquely our own. Mom looks on, smiling, admiring that we keep ourselves busy, but also I think is looking at a legacy and continuity of all that she pushed my brother and I to do. There's a bit of irony in the fact that once I'd sit and listen as she sang the praises of different types of sports I should try, and today I have been prodding her to try pickleball with us.

Mother's Day gifts in India aren't much different than they are here: special dinners, cards, or flowers. This year however I had something different in mind…Mom will wake up this Sunday to a uniquely shaped gift: a pickleball racket. We're giving her the gift of time to join us, three generations of women shaped by a shared love for sports. Thinking about it though, it's never been so much about the sport itself, but the time together. Time to talk, to laugh, to watch and to learn…it's the greatest gift of all in the end.

I love you Mom. Thanks for everything.

Priyanka