Life arising from life is always such a wonderful thing to think of. Just imagine what a creation it is that a whole bundle of the purest form of love develops little by little starting from a single cell, day by day within the sweetest chamber in the world, inside a mother’s womb, nurtured constantly until the day of birth! Does the fascinating cycle ever end there?
Mother is a topic that leaves all human hearts heavy and eyes wet. In such a chaotic world where people are so miserably forgetting their virtue, HEARTSTRINGS was our attempt as writers to let our readers think about life for a while. With this in our minds, to pluck the strings of all hearts, HEARTSTRINGS was brought forth.
Week one of Heartstrings unfurled with a burst of good comments and compliments from all over as Rtr. Thisari Jayasumana took the lead with the arrival of the Perfect Gift, her new hope, the hope of being a mother despite all physical and emotional challenges yet to come. Can someone who has not been through it all imagine how tough the three trimesters could be? Putting herself in the shoes of a strong mother, next up was Rtr. Nadeesha Madurangi wrote about the hardest nine months in a woman’s life. The baton was next relayed onto the hands of Rtr. Nethmini Samadhi who walked back in time to let the readers read Womb Diaries, to make them see life in the eye of the baby. Week one ended with Rtr. Amashi Uthpala as she brought it out so skillfully, the occasion of birth from the perspective of the mother making everyone wonder how beautiful the imagination of our budding writers is!
Clouded eyes, blurry view, But a clear vision, of a happy family, Drew at the back of my mind. When I held my baby, in my arms, the entirety of the world was in my arms.
The second week started off with the baby opening his eyes to a new world’s light, somewhere anew and entirely different from the mother’s womb as Rtr. Jithaka Alexander penned Life and Light. As days pass by, the newborn steps high up life’s ladder, everything new and challenging to him. Painting a perfect portrait of childhood, the daily challenges faced by a mother in caring for the child, next in line in Heartstrings was Motherly love by Rtr. Ravisha Kawindi. When the mother struggles so hard to manage everything, the process of growing up becomes a difficult hurdle for the child as well. Emphasizing this, Rtr. Dulari Udeshika wrote next about Growing which summed up all the emotional storms surrounding growth.
Being set free and independent always comes with a load of responsibilities on one’s shoulders. Adulthood is what all children dream about until it comes to them in reality. The third week of plucking heart’s strings commenced with Rtr. Thusali Kodikara and her poem, Dawn of a New Phase. Life’s events are always like the two sides of the same coin. Letting the child step alone into the world, on his own for the first time is assuredly never an easy go for a mother. Elaborating this tug of war in a mother’s mind, next up was Rtr. Isuri Senevirathna as she so skillfully penned FOREVER HOME, leaving thoughts to the readers. Time flies fast, and in a split second, her world is not the same anymore. Young birds have fluttered away from home and their freedom was high up in the air, far away from all ties; far away from an old mother at last. Bringing forth the universal truth about the vicious yet real cycle of life, the third of the third week was Rtr. Jithaka Alexander with her work, Far away.
A brand new nest far away, A beautiful painting, But she's outside the frame...
But do all birds fly away? Are all ties forgotten? Making the ending note of Heartstrings, Rtr. Kavindana Nirmani reminded everyone to make sure to colour mother’s life with happiness as much as we can while she is alive rather than crying for her after her chair is empty, in her article Repaying through Love and Care which depicts the thoughts of a grown-up about caring for his mother.
On top of everything else, mother nature has chosen women to be mothers of all forms of life that they so lovingly dream of, and so strongly and willingly fulfill, once it comes to them. A whole twist of life’s roller coaster for a carefree woman’s heart! Isn’t it? Just look how well she holds it all together! For the sake of everyone!
Thus, to appreciate all women in the name of motherhood, we as the Editorial team of RACFOSUOC opened our hearts’ gates to write about the wonderful cycle, from her conception to old age, both in the frame of vision of the child and the mother through HEARTSTRINGS. As we mark the end of a whole month’s journey with Heartstrings, here is a gentle reminder for all thoughtful hearts out there. It is unavoidable that life would always be so full of hassle, always yet to figure out. But make sure to remind your hearts that life, in turn, can be about holding hands that never let yours go and holding onto those hearts that loved you throughout, while nature allows you to because the morning dew will always vanish when the sun wants them to…
By Rtr. Ruwangi Amarasooriya
A beautiful ending to a beautiful series… ♥️