While Mother’s Day may seem like an ordinary holiday or some effort by card companies to increase sales, it comes at a poignant time for me.
I have multiple mothers in my life: Grandmothers, great aunts, aunts, friends, my wife, her mother and my own stepmother and birth mother. There are a great many things about them which reminds me of their uniqueness and specialness which has had an impact on me throughout my life.
As a young boy, the complete, gentle and loving acceptance of my birth mother is something that has stayed with me. The strength of my stepmother as she took me as a wild teenage boy has also stayed with me. I remember my Aunt, a wonderful woman who has since passed, took me as a young boy and sought to fill the role of grandmother since both my grandmothers had passed either before I was born or just after. My great aunt also took me in and sought to fill the place her sister was supposed to fill. My wife, with her constant focus on the goodness that should surround our children, brings that same gentleness and care to me and our home.
In each of these mothers, it was the caring they brought. It was and is their gentle presence surrounding me and their own children. It is a good thing, a very good thing.
All this care, this softness tempers me for the better. I believe I am better for all this good influence on me. I’m more gentle than I would otherwise be. I’ve been lucky to have those gentle mothers in my life reminding me of the good nurturing I was fortunate to know.
On Mother’s Day, I’m thankful to all the mothers who’ve come to me in their way. I love them all.