“…with the crown of snow, there cometh wisdom…” — ‘The Aged Mother,’ a Japanese folktale by Matsuo Basho

While at first glance this may be something we may not relate to Mother’s Day here in the Philippines especially because of the recent extremely hot weather, we can assume that the quote relates to the wisdom that comes with age. The “crown of snow” refers to the white hair of an elderly mother, and with that comes her wisdom.

Snow in countries that have winter has many connotations, negative and positive. It can symbolize innocence, purity, hopefulness and gentleness. However, snow can also symbolize cold and harshness, challenges that we need to take on to survive winter.

The duality of the winter is like the presence of a good, wise mother in one’s life — having a loving, caring mother is feeling her gentle, nurturing side that inspires hope in one’s heart. The other is her “cold,” authoritative, disciplinarian side that allows us to grow through the challenges we need to face.

Like the gentle snow on a winter day, our mothers greet us with smile and kindness. The touch of her hands and her kindness make our hearts flutter, like snowflakes.

However, when we step out of line, we are met with blizzards of words that may seem harsh and cold. When our mothers get upset with our wrongdoings, we realize we must do better. We need the discipline to learn and survive no matter how cold and harsh the world may be.

With the two sides of our mothers raising us to be strong, caring, intelligent people, we are both vulnerable and protected at the same time with the wisdom that comes like the “crown of snow.” While our mothers’ lives may be fleeting in the end like the winter, their wisdom stays with us, no matter what.