Dear ArtTmodernmiami readers!
Here we are together again! I hope you have been satisfied with the part of our togetherness so far. I hope you have enjoyed my articles. It motivates me to think that you enjoy my articles. Do not spare your comments, okay? 😊
Let’s come to this month’s article…as far as I know, May is Mother’s Day worldwide. I would like to tell you the story of a great woman, my mother.
Dedicated to my beloved mother, our most valuable asset who ensures the unity of our family and creates, gives birth, feeds, and protects from nothing!
The year 1927…
It had only been 4 years since the Republic was proclaimed in Turkey, and the people, exhausted and recovering from the long wars, were struggling with the worldwide economic depression that began in the fall of 1929.
A baby girl was born in a town in the Aegean region.
Her name means “eternal, perpetual and everlasting”. They named her “Halide”.
Of course, she did not know the long journey of life that would last until today and what awaited her.
Halide had a brother. Her mother Necmiye (1) was widowed at a young age with 2 children after the untimely death of her husband and never married again.
Halide was a beautiful and charming young girl and married. Her husband Demir (2) was a Yugoslavian immigrant and Halide was Demir’s biggest chance. He served 36 months of compulsory military service as a sailor. For this reason, Halide was left alone in the first years of their marriage. Moreover, she was pregnant and had to struggle with financial difficulties. They had one daughter and two sons.
While raising children and doing household chores, Halide started to use her skills and talents to contribute to the household economy. She cut hair, made ondula (3), and built a considerable circle with her knitting business, making her well-known in the town where she lived. She formed a team of girls. They worked day and night to fulfill the orders with their knitting machines.
I grew up without being aware of these difficult times during childhood, adolescence, and youth. I was a little lucky because my father was in trade during the periods I remember. These were the periods when my mother was comfortable. My brother was my father’s biggest helper, my sister became a teacher and I went to Izmir and then Istanbul to study art.
We lost Halide, my mother, on February 18, 2024. She is no more! She struggled with dementia, the plague of our age, for 9 years. She spent 6 years of this in bed. We struggled a lot to make her comfortable and give her life. We tried to alleviate what she was going through. The thing she was most afraid of was the darkness. She had traumas related to this from difficult times in her childhood and youth. We inferred this from her frequent attacks and hallucinations due to dementia. Except for her childhood and youth, she had no memories of the recent period. Although it was painful, she did not recognize us or know who we were.
I tried to communicate with my dear mother during her illness. I chatted with her, listened to what she had to say, tried to make sense of her words, said nice things to her, and even said what I hadn’t been able to say until today. I whispered in her ear. It is very interesting that even though she didn’t remember me, we didn’t stop saying words of love to each other. We hugged, we kissed…it was as if everything was continuing where it had left off. We had never been separated.
I always wanted to be with her when she took her last breath, and that’s what happened. She was in my arms. I’ll never forget that scene. I couldn’t do anything and she slipped out of my hands…
I sent my mother, who was afraid of the dark, towards the light with my hands.
For some time now, I have not seen death as an end. I think that my mother has completed her time in this body and this realm. Her spirit continues living in another realm. And even in this world; she continues to live with her mitochondria in the cells of my sister, brother, and me.
It is so…mitochondria are inherited from the mother.
Today, when I miss my mother, I try to feel her inherited energy inside me. Whenever I feel emotionally empty, I continue my way with her mitochondria, the gift that helps me hold on to life.
I think this is the emotional bond between a mother and her child that we can’t quite put a name to.
So, friends, the energy of our life comes from our mother. So, do I.
I want to continue this legacy passed down to me by living it properly.
I miss my mother very much. The kind woman who never stops saying thank you: I love you very much. Rest assured, you will never be forgotten.
I couldn’t buy you any flowers or gifts this Mother’s Day, Mom. All I can do is pray for your soul and send you the message with this article that you will not be forgotten.
I hope it reaches its destination.
Forgive and bless me. I give my blessing my Halide!
Happy Mother’s Day all mothers!
What is your gift to your mother?
(1) Necmiye: Belonging to the stars.
(2) Demir: Solid, durable, and strong like iron.
(3) Ondula: Hair curling iron. It is a process used by women in ancient times to shape the hair by changing the structure of the hair with heat.
Kamil Cakir
Instagram: kamilcakirstudio
