My Family, My Love, My Everything

My teenage son loves to wander in the forest behind our house and always brings us wild flowers and wild berries. He excitedly tells us about encounters with deer, possums and an occasional flying owl. He loves the creek and investigates the water looking for fish, frogs, tadpoles, turtles and he was really happy to find planktons in the water.

Once he was trying to cross the creek balancing himself on a fallen tree trunk and he fell into the water. Thankfully it did not knock him out and he came home wet and disheveled and told us he could not find his glasses. While he went to shower, his sister, youngest brother and I went to the creek wading through the murky waters trying to find his glasses. We could not find them and I figured I would just order new ones. My husband comes home, its dark and he ventures out with a flashlight. Lo and behold, dad finds the glasses perched on the shore of the creek which for some reason none of us were able to see, brings it back home to happy cheers and hugs from all of us. He is indeed our hero and always saves the day.

This is love, love of family. The five of us, one small united unit, a little piece of heaven, my place of Zen and comfort, where I can be myself and know that I am loved. We have seen the best and worst of each other, we know each other well. We are each other’s fiercest critics and at the same time we are also each other’s strongest supporters. There is arguing and teasing but also caring and loving. The boys adore their older sister but they tease each other mercilessly.

Arjun tells me that we should give his younger brother up for adoption and get a puppy instead. His goal is to annoy Armaan. They push each other’s buttons and love to wrestle on the floor and chase each other all over the house and while I worry they might kill each other, I find that they have forgotten everything and are playing together outside with our outdoor cat whom they both adore.

My daughter is wise beyond her years and always tells me I am beautiful and smart and I should not underestimate myself. Arjun loves to bake and always bakes her favorite carrot cake for her birthday. On a trip to Farm Boy’s Barbecue, the dessert counter had only one serving of carrot cake left and he spotted that amidst the sea of chocolate and vanilla cakes and saved it for his sister while she was still finishing her meal.

My husband always rearranges the meetings he has scheduled if I want him to take me out for lunch. I know I can count on him. Once he drove all the way to Greenville to get my purse. I had left it behind in the citizenship office. I was so thrilled to finally become an American citizen that I forgot my pocketbook there in the throes of my ecstatic euphoria! Love does not have to be expensive gifts, flowers and jewelry. It is the feeling that your partner always has your back and picks up your slack.

On the eve of Valentine’s day, as I was packing little gifts for my kids, mostly soft toys and candy, writing a card for my husband, sneaking into my kids’ rooms to see what they have made for me, I feel blessed to be surrounded by so much love. I find some candy in the fridge carefully wrapped and hidden so I can’t see it and it’s a surprise but I am so good at snooping around that I find it. The boys have made it from scratch and it is my favorite – milk chocolate with almonds. They have also written Happy Valentine’s Day on it.

My heart is full, my family fulfills me. I am grateful for having a beautiful family and at the same time I shiver with some anxiety as I am reminded of how everything can be taken away in an instant. The root of my dread is my experience as a fifteen year old when my dad passed away. I lost my older sister when she was twenty-five and I was twenty-four. I banish these negative thoughts and say a little prayer asking God to always keep us safe and together.

My family, my love, my everything. 

Mona Verma grew up in India but has lived in Columbia since 1996. Part-time reference librarian, full-time mom to three teenagers, voracious reader, addict of housewives shows. Volunteering sparks joy and so does gardening. The best compliment someone could give me is if they tell me I am a really good mom.