Mother's Day

I see lots of mother's, every day, every week. I see them up close, with their children in my office. I see them from a distance at grocery stores, drugs stores, and walking around town. I can't help noticing a mother and her child or children. I'm sorry to say I see far too many mothers who just don't seem to get it, moms for whom the job just doesn't fit.

On the other hand, there is nothing quite as pleasing as seeing a mom who does get it, a mom who shows her involvement and concern, her caring, in everything she does. I saw one the other day whose little girl was with her-- her little girl of 22. All grown up but injured emotionally and physically and this mom just seemed to get it so very well-- how to be present, instructive, and supportive to her grown daughter and yet still, at the same time, respect her daughter's adulthood. That can't be easy when you see your child, all grown up, yet injured and in just the same measure of hurt as you saw when she fell hard at 6 and skinned both knees.

Some moms give birth to it, others adopt the responsibility, some marry into it. They're all moms. They're all moms because a mom is foremost a teacher. I'm a believer that a person's capacity to love and be loved, a person's capacity to grow physically and emotionally, a person's capacity to learn and become whole, functional, and productive; all that capacity is nurtured and encouraged by a mom. It grows from a mom with a keen eye for safety, a keen eye for risk, a keen eye for opportunity, and a keen sense of timing; a mom who understands her life has been given, at least in part, to her child-- a part she can never have back. And she gives that part happily.

Every child comes into the world needy. Every child comes into the world physically, emotionally, and intellectually hungry, and every mother is the source. Raising a child should not be a solo act. As a father I know that my place is far from that of just a minor supporting role. Nonetheless, I know too that, when things are right, the mother has a place that can never be underestimated, under appreciated, or overstated.

Happy Mother's Day, with gratitude, to all those of you who get it, for whom the job will always fit, even when your child is grown and gone from the nest.