What My Mother Taught Me

"I wanted to play with my girlfriends more than I wanted to go to school. I cannot blame my parents for not sending me to school. They did. When my father passed away I was 13 years old. I remember my mother calling me to say, “You did not go to school, so learn how to sew. Our Magars in the community will buy your traditional clothing. And it will also help me sustain the family.” I did as mother said as she had become alone and sitting by her side and sewing cleared the loneliness from the room and her heart. What I did with my mother slowly became my passion. I continued sewing. I learned new ways of interweaving the fabric and tying knots to make the clothing more durable. I also started making carpets. Wool gave me warmth. Being in the company of my mother gave me happiness. The rugs I made gave warmth to everyone who rested on them. This made me happy. When I got married, I took my skills to my new home. I took what my mother taught me to the new kitchen and the new front porch. After cutting grass, after ploughing the fields, after breaking corn, and after putting grains on fire, I sit in my corner, cut wool, and weave. It gives me a lot of peace. Mother lives nearby and I go visit her almost every day. Sometimes I knit while she rests by my side. And I know she is happy for me. Even though I chose not to go to school, I live with what my mother taught me. How could I ever live without it? ”