It was with much apprehension I opened the door and entered the intensively cared hall. The red inked letters on the door read ‘Take off your shoes before entering’. I could only hear the beeps from the cardiac monitoring screens. The nurse on the information desk did her job emitting zero noise. The sky blue window blinds made sure light entered delicately. Two patients, both ladies, were fed with glucose droplets since their surgery, several hours ago. I approached one of them with outmost care. She as operated upon at least 5 hours ago in her abdomen. Her face was pale and hands powerless. She found it painful even to move her eyes. She was masked with oxygen supply to keep her breathing well. She couldn’t move to left or right on the bed. She made her requests with the help of facial signs. She had two visitors who stood beside her unable to utter anything more than her. They wished to do everything for her but were forced by her unfortunate health conditions. While they were about to leave, she whispered to on of them in dead silence to make sure he take his medication on time. She asked the other to sleep on time for next day’s work. She also asked to take good care of the rest of the family at her home. My mind was silenced in thought listening to her tumult of love. She was laying there unable to even look at them. Her every vein protested with pain. And now she was asking one of her sons to look after his medication. She hadn’t slept peacefully for days. But she wanted her children to sleep on time. Was there a better word in dictionary for love to address this kind of psychological paradox? Even a heroic martyr would get nowhere close to this frail mother. Such was the love for her children which defied her own comforts and life. While completing almost thirty two years of human life in this ecosystem of love, I am most thankful to the Creator. For, this mother is my mother too. I too am comforted under ‘those wings’, as the Holy Quran refers. On the way back, I re-read the instructions on the door. Taking off shoes is a mark of respect, not just hygiene. May be the reason why ALLAH asked Moses to remove his shoes before conversing with Him. Motherhood is perhaps the most fascinating phenomenon created at the Merciful hands of ALLAH. It is too mystical to be true. But then it is. Apr 18 2010