Just the other day I found myself in a waiting room, sitting next to a young mom. Her son played in the stroller and entertained himself as we spoke. “Oh, I said,” I remember the days. How old is he?” “Just 14 months,” she said. “My third.” “And your other children?” I asked, How old are they? “I have a four year old daughter and six year old son.” “OoooKay,” I reflected. “You are in the thick of it.” Then, I heard myself say, “The time passes very quickly. You’ll be surprised.”
How many innocent women in my past said that to me as I struggled to satisfy my own two babies, aged only 16 months apart? As they watched me negotiate motherhood, they would offer that same advice. “Take advantage and appreciate it all, even the sleepless nights,” they would say, “because your babies become children, then teens, and in no time, they grow up and move out.” Sometimes, I prayed it would just happen, because when I was desperate for a reprieve, I just wanted to scream. And sometimes I did. Then, there were the other times that made my heart smile. Those precious moments: sweet notes to the tooth fairy, faces covered in frosting from licking the cake bowl, dress up in mom’s closet and spontaneous sibling hugs. These memories live within me and light up my life.
It’s May, the month of Mother’s Day, and we at the Happy Herald celebrate moms everywhere, including the mom mentors who showed up along the way as wonderful guides, friends and teachers.
Filmmaker Gary Marshall just released the movie Mother’s Day, with a phenomenal cast. The story looks at the management styles of moms and examines life from many angles. It’s a dramedy… I just love that term. And isn’t life just that? Part drama, part comedy? You gotta laugh at the small stuff and celebrate the wonderful gifts of the moment. There’s a saying, “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”
As moms we do our best and seek to be better. At least I do. I appreciate all the lessons learned along the way, and know that each and every day is a blessing. By the way, if you have not seen the online video that has every Jewish Mother on the floor laughing, check it out: http://bit.ly/21mD8JT. It’s a satirical commentary by a 91-year-old Jewish mother about mothers. Selma Baraz is hysterically funny and also poignantly truthful! This is a video that can be appreciated on many different levels… enjoy them all!
Mother’s Day has become a day that focuses on recognizing the roles of mothers and mother figures. It’s a great day to pause, if even just for one moment, and to be grateful… to feel the gift of life as it unfolds. On Mother’s Day this year, I will be with both my children as my baby graduates from the University of Colorado Boulder. He has earned his wings to fly on his own, and to say I’m proud is an understatement. His dad and sister and I will rejoice in his accomplishments.
I know that woman in the waiting room feels like the days are long and tough. I bet she relishes sleep and quiet time. It may be a dozen years before she can take stock and appreciate the wonders of Motherhood. I know, unequivocally, from the perspective of having been through it, I appreciate every moment that led to today.
So enjoy it all this month of May, and may you find happiness in the many sacred moments that time will never erase.