Having plumbed the depths of love, guilt and sorrow in a 2012 tribute to my mother brought on by a visit to my childhood home, I pretty much ignored mothers day on this blog for the last two years.
Today, I take you on a lighthearted exploration of the maternal-filial bond with these four legged creatures, whose display of intense emotion was humbling to witness everytime.
Behind all your stories is always your mother’s story.
Because hers is where yours begin.
~ Mitch Albom
It’s not easy being a mother.
If it were easy, fathers would do it.”
~ From The Golden Girls-
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, I am my mother after all!
~ Anon.
My mother’s menu consisted of two choices:
Take it or leave it.
~ Buddy Hackett-
If evolution really works, how come mothers
only have two hands? ~ Milton Berle
(This matriarch, incidentally, manages brilliantly with just one,
having lost the other in a poachers trap.)-
Don’t ever tell the mother of a newborn
that her baby’s smile is just gas.
~ Jill Woodhull-
Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because
they are more certain they are their own.
~ Aristotle
And to all young two legged mothers out there, and especially to my dear frazzled daughter who I haven’t spoken to for five uninterrupted minutes ever since her second offspring learnt to speak:
A suburban mother’s role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.”
~ Peter De Vries
That too shall pass. But I can attest with some authority that you will be surprised by the intensity of your longing to be back in that driver’s seat when it does. Happy Mothers Day!
The Urge To Wander 
Love these pictures and quotes. Happy Mother’s Day!
Thank you Juliann. To you too! 🙂
Lovely clicks!! And a cute post for Mothers day:))
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you Shy.
Visually loving tribute…
Thanks Sally. Have a great week!
Awesome. A beautiful tribute to Mother’s Day
Thank you for reading Sreejit.
Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
Mothers of every kind … on Mother’s Day!!
Thank you for sharing Dr Rex.
You are very welcome! That was a beautiful post …. loved the pics! Hugs ….
Wowowow nature ..Beautiful pictures and the quotes are excellent tooo..
Thank you very much Bikramjit.
This post is lovely, Madhu. I’m going to share it on Facebook. Thanks so much.
Kind of you Debbe. Much appreciated.
What a wonderful way to give tribute to mother’s day. Kudos to your brilliant idea of picking up the nature, where nature and nurturing is the symbol of mother’s love and care.
😀
Have been saving these images for this post Nihar. Glad you enjoyed it.
It reflects, lot of thinking and planning goes into your posts…
Indeed so well conceptualized and beautifully presented.
Beautiful images, beautiful quotes, beautiful prose. Happy Mothers Day Madhu!
Thank you for your lovely comment LuAnn. Have a fabulous week ahead 🙂
Stunning and moving photos, indeed, Madhu. There is something so finely exquisite in seeing the maternal bond captured on film in the wild. It is raw, poignant and honest.
The quotes are a perfect addition.
I wish you and your daughter a day of great celebration and many more to follow!
Thank you Shelley. It is indeed deeply moving to witness these interactions between animal mothers and babies, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity. Hope you had a fun day with your teens.
Fantastic pics of these devoted mothers! Love the quotes you’ve chosen, especially the Milton Berle. 🙂 Happy Mom’s day to you. xx
That’s my pick too 🙂 Thank you Sylvia.
Happy Mother’s Day
Thank you for your visit and comment Rajkumar.
What a post. I smiled as I looked at the glorious photos and read the perspicacious quotes.
I found those quotes through a Google search and just HAD to use them Meg. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed them as much as I did.
Very special Madhu ~ beautiful scenes for a special day!
We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to witness those scenes Mary. Doubles my joy to share them with you 🙂
Great pictures for Mothers’ Day!
Thank you Shimon. We were fortunate to have stumbled upon those scenes. Happy to share the joy.
Great captions
Wish I could take credit Mallee 🙂 Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
Happy Mother’s Day, Madhu. I hope it’s been a glorious day for you.
Thank you Angeline. A bit less heat would have been perfect 🙂 Hope yours was great as well.
A fabulous post Madhu, so sad to see the mountain gorilla lost her hand because of humans. Happy Mothers Day!
Thinking of her pain and fear makes me sick Gilly. But it is amazing how well she has adapted and that she hasn’t been pushed over by one of the younger females!
Great post, Madhu…lovely images of devoted mothers in nature!
Thank you Sue. Happy Monday!
😀
Madhu, what delightful shots! Thanks for sharing them and happy Mother’s Day.
janet
Most welcome Janet. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Ah, Happy Mother’s Day, Madhu!
I love your 4-legged moms. Their tenderness is something else! 🙂
I knew you would Marina 🙂 Thank you for your lovely comment and the share.
Incredible photos that mirror the great quotes you used here ~ perfect ode to Mother’s Day ~
I was counting on Fathers among my readers having a solid sense of humour 🙂 Thank you very much Randall.
Randall, I think my comment on your latest post vanished into your spam folder. Would you retrieve it please?
What a lovely post. Beautiful photos, and great quotes. I (also?) had a fractious relationship with my mother so have more or less ignored Mothers’ Day since she died 13 years ago. It is a sweet thing to finally feel softly towards her. We all do the best we can, eh? Happy Mothers Day.
Alison
Mine wasn’t fractious Alison. We got along famously, but her life, and ours consequentially, was beset with tragedies. I carried around guilt for not having done enough for the longest time. Still go there sometimes. Thank you for stopping by to share your thoughts.
Such beautiful images Madhu!
Thank you Uday. Hope all is well with you. Was wondering about the silence on your blog.
All is well Madhu, thanks. I should be back on wordpress soon 🙂
What a great tribute to mothers, Madhu. Loved it. 🙂
Delighted you did. Thank you David.
Having just read your childhood story, I love the passion in you by sharing this wonderful post.
Thank you very much Cornelia.
Beautiful photos and quotes – love that one from The Golden Girls snort
I am sure there are exceptions, but it is mostly true right? 😀
Right 🙂
Lovely captures, Madhu.
Hi Niranjan, thank you.
such a fabulous Mothers day post! 🙂 Great captures and fitting quotes!
Glad you think so. Thank you!
A wonderful collection indeed … and evidence that the special nature of mothers is bigger than people think.
A delightful departure from the day’s more traditional posts, Madhu. Where did you capture these safari snaps?
They are mostly from Tanzania – Tarangire and Serengeti – except for the monkey from the Nilgiris and the Indian elephant with newborn from Nagarhole in Karnataka.. Pleasure to see you here Tricia.
Heartfelt and deeply sweet, Madhu—words and pictures both! Thank you. I hope your own Mother’s Day was the same. 🙂
Thank you Riba. Mine wasn’t any different from any other day in my life 🙂 Will be meeting the children over this coming weekend though.
Happy Mother’s Day, Madhu!
Thank you Kat! 🙂
You had me from that first shot, Madhu! And oh, the elephants! Superb 🙂 I smiled in acknowledgement all the way through. (and now I have to go and read the guilt trip) I haven’t had a mum for 25 years so they tend to bypass me a bit, but my daughter sent me a very sweet gift this year (come to think of it, that might just have been guilt too 🙂 )
Thank you Jo. My daughter lost her father in law the week before last and R had to undergo a minor surgical procedure in between so we have all been in a bit of a tizzy.
This is one of those warm and fuzzy posts that I could go back to all day just to study those adorable and incredible creatures. The quotes are perfect., Madhu. Now I must read the guilt trip, too…like Jo. 🙂
Thank you Lynne. They never fail to lift my mood 🙂
Yes, appropriate for Mother’s Day, but relevant for the rest of the year too. Loved it!
These are wonderful. Perfect for Mother’s Day.
Belated Happy Mother’s Day! Thanks for sharing the photos,
Dear Madhu,
This is a wonderful post! Touching photos and I love the quotes. Best of all I love and relate to your own concluding thoughts about motherhood.
Your quote from Milton Berle reminds me of the mother who wished to be an octopus with eight arms, the better to do damage control in the wake of her wild children. Her friend reminded her that if she had eight arms, so would her children, and there would be eight times the mess to pick up after them.
I hope your Mother’s Day was a happy one, Madhu.
Warmly,
Naomi
That was a wonderful write up. Great pictures! 🙂
I’m a little late, Madhu, but I love these heartwarming photos, especially the elephants. 🙂 Adn the quotes are perfect; love the one from Buddy Hackett. 🙂 This was a beautiful and fun tribute to all Moms. Have a lovely weekend! ♥
Beautiful, endearing with great quotes. Thank you for the smiles, and photographic treats, Madhu. 🙂
Madhu, I love how you paired these memorable quotes with such gorgeous photos of motherhood in the wild. I haven’t seen any of these wondrous four-legged creatures save the simians. It all reminds me of a video where several candidates were called to interview for a job that was totally demanding, had no limit on work hours and was unpaid. The twist came when the interviewer revealed that it was what mothers do on a daily basis!
Perfect quotes and great shots!!!
Lovely and warm shots, Madhu. And a bit late to congrat, but still! I never get used to the fact that we have different days- ours is this Sunday.
so beautiful and lovely 🙂
Lovely photos; brilliant quotes 😉
Beautiful pictures Madhu! Its a visual treat to visit your blog 🙂
Oh God. You spoke my heart. My girls are twenty &fifteen now and still the sweetest but I so long for those days when, to them, I was Goddess😏
That’s so beautiful. Love the pictures and the quotes. Mother’s are always special.
Lovely!