The Hardest Words to Say to Our Parents....
Before It is Too Late
We often spend our lives in a state of "becoming"
We move to new cities, cross oceans for better opportunities, build careers, and start families of our own. In the relentless pursuit of the future, we carry a quiet, heavy assumption: that the pillars who stood behind us at the beginning, our parents, will always be there, waiting in the shadows of our success.
But time is a silent thief. We tell ourselves we will write that letter tomorrow. We tell ourselves we’ll have the "big conversation" during the next holiday visit. We buy cards with pre-printed sentiments because we’re afraid our own voices will crack if we try to say what we actually feel.
We assume there will always be time to:
- visit them
- sit longer with them
- speak properly to them
- say thank you for all that they ever did for you
The truth is, saying "thank you" to a mother or a father isn't just about politeness
It is about acknowledging a debt that can never truly be repaid. It is about recognizing the sacrifices we didn’t see when we were children: the sleepless nights, the deferred dreams, and the quiet strength it took to shield us from the "burning sun of life" while providing us with "shadowy coolness."
The Silent Gap of the Diaspora
For those of us living in London, the UK, the US - New York, Toronto, or Europe even Berlin, millions of adult children live far from home building careers their parents once dreamed of for them and for whom this silence carries an extra weight.
Distance adds a layer of complexity to our gratitude. We realize that while we were busy growing "up," they were busy growing "old" thousands of miles away
Success often comes with this distancing, but then, the phone calls become shorter, the visits more precious, and the realization sharper: the window to say the things that matter is closing!
This physical distance creates a dangerous illusion: that there will always be another flight home, another festival, another conversation.
But life has a way of interrupting certainty and hospitals have a way of teaching lessons no motivational speech ever can - waiting rooms humble ambition while ICU monitors silence ego.
You begin to realize something unsettling -
- Strength was never permanent
- Age is not protection
- Tomorrow is not guaranteed
When you have witnessed enough of life, when you have seen young people go before their ailing parents, when you have seen healthy routines collapse overnight, something changes inside you.
Gratitude repeats itself when life has shown you that anything can happen, to anyone, at any time.
This is the emotional heartbeat behind Rahul Varma’s poignant work, Thank You Papa, Thank You Maa, While I Still Can...
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| Thank you...while I still can... |
More Than a Book - A Living Tribute
This is not a standard memoir or a generic gift book. It is a visual and narrative "excavation" of cherished memories. Poignant family photographs, reflections with deeply honest reflections, Rahul embarks on a journey that every son and daughter has felt but few have put into words.
The imagery, like the striking cover of a family walking toward a golden horizon under the protective canopy of a Great Tree, serves as a metaphor for the legacy of love
It reminds us that we are the branches of a tree that was planted and watered by the two people who asked for nothing in return.
"While I Still Can"
The title itself is a call to action
It acknowledges the fragility of life without being morbid. It is a celebration of the present. Whether it’s a 50th wedding anniversary, a retirement, a milestone birthday, or simply a Tuesday where the weight of gratitude feels particularly heavy, this book serves as a vessel for your own story.
By gifting this book, you aren't just giving them something to read. You are giving them a mirror that reflects the beauty of the life they built for you
You are saying the words that are often the hardest to speak aloud:
"I saw your sacrifice."
"I remember your lessons."
"I am who I am because of you."
The Perfect Legacy Gift
In a world of digital noise and disposable gifts, something tactile, visual, and deeply emotional stands the test of time
Thank You Papa, Thank You Maa, While I Still Can... is designed to be kept on a coffee table or a bedside stand - a constant, colorful reminder of a bond that spans generations and geography.
Don't let the opportunity slip away into the "someday" that never comes!
Honor your pillars. Celebrate your roots
Most tributes to parents are written after loss. This one is written while the words can still be heard and that is its power.
Yes, it is not a polished memoir, much like memory itself, it is reflective, imperfect, and deeply human written in between real "hospital" times
"Thank you" that repeats itself many times over inside the book, comes through when life has shown you they could have simply chosen to leave you outside any orphanage, but did not do so
When no law in the world says that your parents should do for you what they did, yet they still do what ever they humanly can do, a heart felt "thank you" just happens....
If something stirs in you - a pause, a phone call, a hug you’ve delayed, then this book has already fulfilled its purpose even if you are yet to buy it
Say it now, while the sun is still high.
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