As I was posting my commentaries on May 11th, I realized that this weekend was Mother’s Day. There have been so many women I’ve met throughout my life who were emblematic of this heartfelt holiday. In my family, my mother was a symbol of love, tenacity and survival, having to raise a teenage daughter and a three-year-old son (aka yours truly) after having lost her husband. Motherhood seemed to elude my sister, yet her love and determination rewarded her with a daughter who became her greatest joy. My beloved CeCe’s mom was a dynamic and beautiful woman who possessed an incredible singing voice and a character to match.
It may seem like a foregone conclusion to write about the sacrifices our mothers make throughout the years to give us the best life possible. Motherhood is about love, sacrifice and hope. But it is also accepting a life that may be fraught with challenges, fears, sleepless nights and thankless days. Children are a conundrum of love and devotion that more often than not, turn into a whirlwind of lukewarm indifference who only remember their mothers in times of need or on holidays such as Mother’s Day. But that’s the miracle of motherhood. Mothers transcend conventional wisdom and the apoplectic angst of their children. They rise every day with love in their hearts and devotion on their faces through eyes that beg for more sleep. They fix everything from owies to broken hearts and lay down the law with the greatest of intentions and aplomb. They forever give more than they receive, yet somehow always manage to walk away the wealthier and the wiser. They know where we’re going because they’ve been pointing us in the right direction since birth. They see the potential bittersweet nature of their future yet walk confidently into that unknown with the comforting knowledge that theirs is a legacy of love and the pride and satisfaction of having created life. They are forever needed yet unsung; always present yet often avoided. They are the masters of reason and the undisputed champions of common sense. They will always know the answers yet gladly relinquish the spotlight to give their children their moment in the sun. And despite the hardships, sacrifices, sleepless nights and endless worries, they will always be our symbol for beauty, love, affection and everlasting devotion.
Motherhood is transcendental; it navigates across every facet of nature and exemplifies the very definition of life on this planet. Mothers possess the enviable ability to see the world as a unified force and we, by the very nature of our existence, owe them our greatest measure of love. We owe them our lives.
Happy Mother’s Day with love from all the grateful and adoring sons and daughters across space and time.
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