Tribute to Mothers

MOTHERS FIRST

Mothers  are one of the best creations of God. She has amazing powers. She can multitask without complaining. She cares for everyone without any demands. Read here and marvel at the wonder called -Mother.

By the time the Lord made mothers, he was into his Sixth day of working overtime. An Angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered and said, "Have you seen the special sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have 200 movable parts, all replaceable, run on black coffee and leftovers, have a lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she stands up, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart, and have six pairs of hands."

The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. "Six pairs of hands! No Way!" said the Angel.

The Lord replied, "Oh, it's not the hands that are the problem. It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!"

"And that's just on the standard model?" The Angel asked.

The Lord nodded in agreement. "Yes, one pair of eyes is to see through the closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even though she already knows. Another pair in the back of her head is to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair is here in the front of her head. They are for looking at an errant child and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word."

The Angel tried to stop the Lord. "This is too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish. "

But I can't!" The Lord protested, "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can feed a family of six on a pound of rice and can get a two year old to stand in the shower."

The Angel moved closer and touched the woman, "But you have made her so soft, Lord".

"She is soft", Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" asked the Angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak with this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak." The Lord objected. "That's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the Angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride."

The Angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything, for MOTHERS are truly amazing."

They have strengths that amaze men. They carry children, they carry hardships, and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous. They fight for what they believe in. They stand up for injustice. They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution. They go without new shoes so their children can have them. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their loved ones get awards. They are happy when they hear about a birth or a new marriage. They are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart. Mothers come in all sizes, in all colors and shapes. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you. The heart of a mother is what makes the world spin!Mothers do more than just give birth. They bring joy and hope. They give compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends.Mothers have a lot to say and a lot to give. 

Doing More than A Woman

Malala

Malala Yous afzai, a brilliant and courageous girl student from Pakistan. She is a proud daughter, sister and an associate known for being a children’s rights activist. At the age of 13 years, she championed the cause of the people of Swat by blogging for the BBC under a pseudonym about the atrocities of the Tehrik-e-Taliban and extremists. The international children’s advocacy group Kids Rights Foundation rightly included Yousafzai among the nominees for the International Children’s Peace Prize, making her the first Pakistani girl nominated  for the award. South African Nobel laureate Desmund Tutu announced the nominations during a 2011 cerem ony in Amsterdam, Holland, but Yousafzai did not w in the prize but made a mark and now this is the right time that she should be given noble peace prize and her immense struggle and contribution must be appreciated and acknowledged.

 

 Very few  people know that Yousafzai who lives in Mingora, Swat Pakistan as occupied by the Taliban from March 2009 until May 2009, has become an icon and a celebrity to be reckoned with. She rightly exposed the negative mentality of the extremists when she wrote a diary for the BBC under the pseudonym “Gul Makai”, in which she described the deeds of the extremists in Swat and made a newer history.

For her courageous and outstanding services for the promotion of peace under extremely hostile conditions, she was awarded the first National Peace Award by the Pakistani government on 19 December 2011. Speaking to the media afterwards, she expressed her intent to form a political party focused on education. The Government Girls Secondary School, Mission Road, was immediately renamed Malala Yousufzai Government Girls Secondary School in her honour.

 

 On 9 October 2012, a gunman walked up to a bus taking children home from school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley and shot Malala and the girl who identified her. Malala was shot twice, once in the head and once in the neck, but her wounds were not life-threatening. Ehsanullah Ehsan, the chief spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, officially claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that she is symbolic of obscenity and has spread negative propaganda. The world has condemned this brutal act by the coward extremists.

This is the story of brave, brilliant and amazing children of Pakistan who are determined to make a difference despite all odds. Let us pay them tribute. They are our real wealth and strategic asset. We all stand for their rights. To know more about malala

My Struggle to be Prime Minister

  Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto was twice prime minister of the Islamic state of Pakistan. She was groomed for political office from the age of 9 by her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

 I was a very shy girl who led an insulated life.

It was only when  I came to Oxford and to Harvard before that, that suddenly I saw the power of people. I didn't know such a power existed.

I saw people criticizing their own president. You couldn't do that in Pakistan - you'd be thrown in prison. I saw the press take on the government.

I was determined to go back home and to give to my people the freedoms and the choices- the individual dignity which I saw my college mates and everyone else in the West have.

That early educational influence has profoundly affected my outlook on life.

Father assassinated

My father was the Prime Minister of Pakistan. My grandfather had been in politics too.

However my own inclination was for a job other than politics.

I wanted to be a diplomat, perhaps do some journalism - certainly not politics.

But when my father was imprisoned, then assassinated, I had no other choice but to continue in the work that he had started because so many of his followers wanted me to do so.

General Zia called the first democratic elections since 1977 when he learned that I was pregnant, thinking that a pregnant woman couldn't campaign. I could, I did, and I won - so that disproved that notion.

The most exciting moment in my life was when I was sworn in as Prime Minister.

Rise to power 

I remember walking down the red carpet in the presidential palace, and I felt as though an invisible army of all those who had died fighting for freedom walked with me and it was a tremendous moment of vindication.

I also felt a tremendous sense that Pakistan had showed the way for other Muslim countries - that a woman could be elected as chief executive.

Dealing with criticism

I found that a whole series of people opposed me simply on the grounds that I was a  oman.

The clerics took to the mosque saying that Pakistan had thrown itself outside the Muslim world by voting for a woman - that a woman had usurped a man's place in the Islamic society.

 I was brought up to believe that a woman can do anything that a man can 

I found that my opponents reduced themselves to verbal abuse rather than discuss issues- the very mere fact that I was a woman seemed to drive them into a frenzy. So that was the biggest challenge.

I don't know how to deal with that.

I can deal with political differences, but how do you deal with it when someone says I don't like you because you're a woman and you've taken a man's place?

I was brought up to believe that a woman can do anything that a man can.

But there are certain things that only women can do such as carry a child and I found myself in a very strange position because each time I was pregnant my political opponents somehow thought I would be paralysed and would plot particularly against me at those points.

Another time my political opponents had me teargassed at a time I was carrying my youngest child. It was a pretty harrowing experience.

I found that the old-fashioned notion that a woman who's expecting a child has to be b dridden was absolutely wrong, a woman can do anything if she's lucky enough not to have morning sickness.

Legacy

I would like to be remembered for symbolising democracy in Pakistan and the Muslim world and for heralding a world of democracy in Pakistan.

But above all I want to be remembered for what I did for women.

My identity comes ultimately from being a woman and I felt that my life has to make a difference to the lives of other women so in terms of population control or in terms of exposing domestic violence or in terms of permitting women easy access to credit to start business of their own, I have always done my best to allow women to succeed. 

This article has been adapted from a special series on women and power from BBC World Service.

Pics of Malala Pakistani A symbol for women rights