On the occasion of Mother's Day this year I want to share with you the transcript of my speech at Toastmasters.
They say you didn't know what you'd got until it's gone but the truth is you probably did... you just never thought you'd lose it.” In the spirit of mother's day, Subhadra will give her first speech post motherhood and share with you her recent tryst with life and how it has transformed her.
March 10th, 2016-a day that I’ll never forget. I was rushing out for the final dance rehearsal.. As soon as I got behind the wheel, I got a call. It was from India. At 1:30 am ? Well I found out why …my mother had a massive heart attack-her first one and she had passed away.
At that very my life came to a screeching halt. I had talked to mom earlier that week She was happy , she sounded healthy, she was playful-She and my dad had wired me a surprise birthday gift. My brain was not able to make sense of the news, my heart was not willing to accept it-but that said: nothing would have prepared me for that moment.
Fellow toastmasters, if you have ever had the misfortune of experiencing an upheaval, you know what I am talking about. The heart wrenching feeling of losing your most loved one, the sense of irreplaceable loss, the isolation, the unbearable helplessness and the pervasiveness of it all.
And when you think you are done with your share of misery and convinced nothing worse can happen, destiny begs to differ. Because destiny has a cruel way of letting you know that you aren’t just yet. As our family was still grappling to come in terms with my mom’s loss, my dad was diagnosed with stage IV cancer last year and before we even got a chance to let that news sink in, he passed away the very same week. Dear friends, when the world was celebrating this past Christmas, I was holding on to the last thread of hope that may be my father will come out of it. He didn’t.
Looking back now, I ask myself how often did I tell my parents I loved them, I wonder did they know how much they meant to me. I sincerely hope they did. Because ever since I have felt this overwhelming sense of love and gratitude for them but no way to express it. Now time waits for none-it has moved on but I still miss the encouragement every time I feel down, the guidance when I feel lost, the joy in my celebrations and that trusting figure who puts me in my place.
True indeed that destiny snatched from me the two most important people in my life. And just when I thought it’s all over and world is never going to the same anymore, the same destiny returned and gifted the two most important people back in my life-my husband and my daughter -they brought back in my life such love and laughter again.
These past few years have taught me a few lessons that I want to share with you-its been tough on me but has made me a tougher person, been brutal to me but has taught me gratitude-am so grateful for my family, grateful for the good health and the opportunities that Life gave me. And just when life had lost its meaning, I realized true meaning of life-by showering your love and support for your loved ones, by making a difference in the lives of those who need you and by living your life with intention. Finally the tragedy has taught me the secret to happiness: happiness is how you experience not just the big moments but all those little moments that rarely get their due credit. So celebrate the little moments because these are what life is made of.
Hope my life’s story is yet another reminder to you all to cherish your past and relish your present with your loved ones, thank more, smile more, love more and dream a little more.
