Mother's Day Special - 14th May 2023

You shaped me

The unknown odyssey life took me on, had changed what was preset inside me, all the norms.

Yet amidst trials and tribulations of time, unknowingly, A dream I never expected to venture into, was alive.

As words poured out from the clatter of keyboard, Your fingertips began sharing and I absorbed it all.

Your perspective, patience, acceptance, love. 

We, in the light of your writing, came closer together through the dark.

And while I was trying to carve a future for you, I realise, Indeed you had been shaping my present.

They say that God lets a baby choose their own parents And I am ever so thankful to you, my child, for choosing me.

By,

Anagha Jawalekar

As a mother, my journey with Akshat has been both challenging and rewarding. It has been a rollar coaster ride of emotions and experiences that have taught me patience, resilience and true meaning of unconditional love.

So, this Mother's Day, I thought I should collate whatever Akshat has written on 'Mother' and post it. I remember, when he started expressing in 2020, I asked him to write something on Mother's day and he came up with some very beautiful lines which are my all time favourite. Next year, he wrote few lines for me on my birthday(best gift a mother could ever asked for). 

And it was in 2021 only, when Anagha (who writes beautiful poems for this blog and is my dear sis-in-law) suggested me to try Cinquain poems with Akshat. I had never thought that Akshat could write poems but just to give it a try, I started giving him topics (as he cannot think topic on his own) which he can think about, relate and visualize. I gave him 'Mother' also as a topic and he wrote 2-3 poems on it. These poems are written at different point of time and one can see the maturity in his thoughts through these poems with time.

Over the years, I have learned to embrace Akshat's unique perspective on life. His observations and ability to think never cease to amaze me. I have learned to advocate for him and able to challenge the stereotypes and misconceptions that surrounds autism. It all became possible because of his communication...

But perhaps the most profound lesson that I have learned is the importance of patience and perseverance. As a mother of an autistic child, patience is not a choice but a necessity. It takes time, effort and a lot of trial and error to find out the right approach to support him. It means being patient when he struggles and being there to help him process his emotions and experiences.

Despite all the challenges, it is very heartening to see Akshat emerging as a confident and compassionate young man with his own perspective. I am content of who he is and all that he has achieved and I know the journey is still far from over.

On this Mother's Day, I want to celebrate all the mothers out there who are on their own journey with their children with special needs. I want to remind them that they are not alone, that their love and dedication are seen and appreciated and that their efforts are making a difference in their lives and the world around them.

And to Akshat, I want to say thank you for teaching me what it truly means to be a mother, for inspiring me to be a better person and for reminding me every day that love knows no bounds.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Sharing Akshat's messages and poems...