There are lots of mothers out there, and for each a unique approach to parenting. And while we may not always get it right (in fact, most moms are more apt to point out their failures/shortcomings/regrets and chalk the good stuff up to luck), I’d like to believe we do our best. One universal emotion I think all mothers feel is a profound sense of awe when our children are placed in our arms for the first time. And while many bemoan those 2:00a.m. feedings, secretly we love them (shhhh, don’t tell our partners, the guilt card is powerful- we reserve the right to play it at will).

But it’s in those late nights/early mornings, when lights are low and voices are hushed- when it seems it’s just you and your child and the rest of the world falls away… that you realize how priceless time really is. You feel empowered. Thankful to be a woman and humbled to be a mother. It’s as if all the bullshit vanishes and for one brief moment there’s nowhere in the world you’d rather be, nothing you’d willingly trade. It’s magical.

And yes, babies grow older and parenting becomes more difficult. At times you’ll find yourself struggling to recall moments when life with your child(ren) wasn’t so complicated and fraught with emotional landmines. But you’ll always have those 2:00a.m. feedings… when looking into the sweet face of your child brought tears to your eyes, and you truly, and maybe for the first time, believed you understood your place in the universe. For me, that’s what mother’s day is all about. Reconnecting with that early, primal bond.

When my kiddos were little I used to sing an old Van Morrison song to them that summed up all our midnight hours… so this is for me, and them, and you, and mothers/daughters/women everywhere:

The warm look of radiance on your face
And your heart beating close to mine
And the evening fading in the candle glow
This must be what it’s all about
Oh this must be what it’s all about
This must be what paradise is like
So quiet in here. so peaceful in here
So quiet in here, yeah, so peaceful in here

`

All my struggling in the world
And so many dreams that don’t come true
Step back, put it all away
It don’t matter, it don’t matter anymore
Oh this must be what paradise is like
This must be what paradise is like
It’s so quiet in here, so peaceful in here
It’s so quiet in here, so peaceful in here

Happy Mother’s Day…

On this day..

• Riddle me this. - 2006
• The fall of an icon. - 2006