In the Book of Ruth, we learn the story of Naomi and Ruth. Naomi had journeyed with her husband and two sons into a strange land. Her two sons married, but before long Naomi's husband and both of her sons had passed away. Grief stricken and having lost nearly all, she decided to return back to the land of her people. She pleaded with her two daughters-in-law to return back to their own mothers and their own people, as she had nothing left to give them. This was Ruth's reply: “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17). There is something special about mothers that makes us want to spend as much time with them as we possibly can, whether they are our biological mothers, the mothers who raised us, mothers-in-law, grandmothers, godmothers, and anyone else who embodies that special blend of love, compassion, nurturing, and support. The love that mothers have transcends political borders, religious affiliations, and societal expectations. If we are very blessed, we will have the opportunity to have at least one Naomi in our lives - that person whom we can't bear the thought of being parted from, no matter that sacrifices we have to make to remain with them, that person who lifts us up when we fall, cheers us on when we triumph, and makes us want to be the best possible version of ourselves whenever we are around them. For such a mother as that, how could we possibly let even death separate us from them? I know that all mothers, however they come into our lives, are a blessing from which if we are fortunate enough we ought never to be parted from.
