Mothers sacrifice to give us life. Sacrifice lies at the heart of much of religion, so it may be that women resonate with this theme naturally. Without mothers none of us would be here to read this right now. Mothers are mortals, however, like most heroes. Naturally I’m thinking of my mother today and how much like a hero she was. Like many heroes, she was prepared to die. Her love, however, lives on. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to count all the ways a mother influences our lives. Not all are gifted at it. It’s a difficult job, and one for which there’s no “economic” benefit—you don’t get paid for supplying the world with future contributors to this human experiment. So we pause to think of how we might show our respect today.
I try not to involve family or friends on this blog—I don’t like giving the internet everything—but the other mother in my daily life, my wife, has said it’s okay. This week we received the news that her cancer is in remission. This joyous news came just in time for Mother’s Day and gives us yet another reason to celebrate. Mother’s Day keeps on taking new shades of meaning as life unfolds. Nature both takes and gives. Sometimes in rapid succession. We need to appreciate all that mothers, women, contribute to our lives and society. I’ve never been able to figure out why this is such a difficult thing to figure out. Some men seem to think it’s not as important as things like making money and making war. We couldn’t do anything, however, without mothers to put us here.
My thoughts are just a touch scattered today, being pulled this way and that. Since my mother’s death last year we’ve passed Christmas, Easter, her birthday, and now Mother’s Day. There have been plenty of occasions to stop and remember. I know that my choices in life have been profoundly influenced by her guidance. Her wisdom. She always said that she wasn’t smart, but intelligence doesn’t come only from finishing high school. Life is a teacher for all who are capable of learning. Having come through a dysfunctional home life herself, and two difficult marriages, she managed to show how to exist in the world with grace. And she taught the value of sacrifice through her own example. We honor our mothers by treating women more equitably everywhere. And guys, there are lessons to be learned here.
