My Mother — Page 140
140 carrying out of some project involving manual labour. On one such occasion in 1937, the Day of the Dignity of Manual Labour was due to be celebrated in our quarter of the town. Mother asked me, ‘Do you know tomorrow is the Day of the Dignity of Manual Labour?’ ‘Yes, I know. ’ ‘Will you participate?’ ‘Certainly. Have you any doubt?’ ‘I was wondering whether your being a Minister would stand in your way. ’ ‘I hope nothing would ever stand in the way of my discharging all my obligations in full. ’ ‘That is what I wished to hear. ’ In 1937, I spent several months abroad on official duty. On my return, Mother told me that she had taken advantage of an oppor - tunity that offered itself and made a ten minute air trip which she enjoyed. She was 74! We spent the latter half of April 1938 in Qadian. One even- ing towards the end of the month I noticed that Mother looked pre occupied. I enquired whether she was troubled over anything. She explained: ‘I was returning from town a little before sun- set. I was still a little distance from our house when I noticed a woman sitting on the side of the road resting against the wall of a house, with two girls sitting close to her. In passing her I received the impression that she was in pain and the girls were tending her. I retraced my steps and sat down next to her. I saw that she was barefooted and was nursing one of her feet with her hand. The girls were ministering to her. She was moaning. Trying to discover the cause of her distress, I found that a long iron nail had penetrated