Thank you, Aakriti
Saturday, May 04, 2019
Dear Aakriti,
This Mother’s Day, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you do for our amazing kids and our family. I feel so incredibly lucky that our paths crossed when they did. Parenting takes a village, and I can’t imagine a kinder, more patient, more loving individual than you to be in on this everyday rollercoaster with me.
When we met, we were both at a crossroads in life. I was saying goodbye to our last home caregiver, Nena, and wondering how I could ever fill her shoes, or fill the gaping hole in my heart left behind by her warm and loving presence. You were right out of college, and trying to figure out what it would mean to strike out on your own for the first time in your life, leaving your parents' home in Kathmandu. You could have done anything. You could have gotten your master’s degree or a fancy job in Kathmandu. Instead, you took the path less traveled, choosing to uproot your life and move to Surkhet.
You came so beautifully into the fold of our family. We are opposites in so many ways; I am fiery and loud and reactionary, while you are calm and quiet and patient. You take your time to really take things in and think about them. I hear you at night and early in the morning, the nurturing way you talk with the kids, quietly guiding them. I listen in adoration, reflecting with gratitude that you are by my side. When you are not here we feel your absence. When you went to visit your parents in Kathmandu for a few weeks last month, I swear little K & K asked every single day, “Aku didi kaaha hunuhunchha? Aku didi kahile aaunuhunchha?” (Where is Aakriti sister, when is she coming back?)
Aakriti and Little K.
While your friends have opted for big jobs in the big city, or have applied to go abroad to the US and Europe, you have stayed here. I know it’s not easy, it’s not glamorous, and sometimes I’m sure it feels thankless. Especially when you are up in the middle of the night with a sick child, or the teenagers are giving you attitude, or your days are so full you barely have time to eat or breathe and your to-do list is a mile long. How can I begin to thank you for what you’ve given us, for the things you have given up to be here? You’ve given us many years of your 20's and helped our family navigate through many difficult things and many changing times. I wouldn’t have had the time to grieve, to meet Jeremy, to go on maternity leave, without you and Sachyam at the helm here at the Children's Home. You have brought so many changes for the better.
I know the kids call you didi, “big sister,” but this Mother’s Day I can’t help but recognize you for being so much more. You are a mother, through and through. Like many other mothers in the world, you didn't take the traditional path to get here, but that doesn't matter. Thank you for taking a chance on us and sticking around for the ride. I owe you everything for it.
Love you always and forever family,
Maggie
Raising children is universal. In celebration of Mother's Day this year, you can honor a mother in your life by impacting the lives of children in Nepal.