Mothers and fathers. And other treasures worth your thankfulness.

Some of us take the most beautiful things in life for granted. The sights and sounds of a living, breathing world, a lungful of fresh air and the fortune of love from our parents. The reality hits us hard when we're deprived of these things that we take for granted in our busy, self centered lives. Some of us are lucky enough to realize, well in time, that all that comes to us, all that we're blessed with is purposeful and not in vain. That everything happens for a reason, sometimes beyond our control. These few, the lucky ones, are thankful for every single day spent on this earth, with loved ones on their sides.

The death of a parent is a true litmus test for a person's values and self-worth. Such loss brings with itself the realization of who you are as a human. It's like a spot quiz test in the middle of a semester. Not many can claim they were good children to their parents. Although the demise of a parent is painful in itself, the grief is sometimes compounded with the feeling of not having done justice being a son or a daughter. The feeling of being a bad child. Of not having loved the parent enough. Lucky are those who do not take this treasure for granted, respect it to the fullest and reciprocate parental love and kindness to the maximum possible in human capacity.

A country is like a parent to the people living within its geographical bounds. And to those who can trace their origin back to it in any way possible. Demise of a state is painful as the loss of a parent. But when it's done, it's done. Lucky are those who realize it while they have their country. Pity on those who don't.

So if you're a good child or a bad child, please, for the sake of other children of the country; realize.

Before its too late.