This year for Mothers’ Day, I decided to honor those who helped me to become the mother I am today: my seven children. Although I’m pretty sure I have taught my children a lot of things over the years (be polite, pick up after yourself, give to others, brush your teeth, etc), they have taught me so much in return.
Elena, our firstborn, taught me how important it is to find your passion in life and be passionate about it. My passion is genealogy, hers is social causes. We may be poles apart politically, but I am so very proud of her activism, her enthusiasm, her willingness to put herself out there to help the Underdog.
Alex has shown me how important it is to Be There for your friends. Time and time again Alex has given of himself to help his friends, whether it was loaning them money (even a young boy), offering a place to stay (yep, even as a boy), offering a shoulder to cry on or a hand to uplift. He has become the one his friends turn to for advice.
Seth, even though he was with us for such a short time, taught me one of the most important lessons of all, and that is simply to Love Everyone. Somehow, that little boy understood the supreme importance of smiles and hugs and willingly offered them to everyone he met, even total strangers.
Natalie, who has the kindest of heart of anyone I know, taught me the importance of Forgiveness. She has been deeply hurt numerous times over the years by “friends”, whether done deliberately or inadvertently. But Natalie understands that relationships are more important than holding grudges and that people sometimes do dumb things, so she freely forgives and works to keep her relationships with friends and family intact.
Andrew has shown me the magic of loving to Learn. He loves to read anything he can get his hands on, whether for school or just because he wants to learn something new – science, philosophy, religion, nature, music. If he could afford it, I’m sure Andrew would be a professional student, always adding to his arsenal of knowledge.
Ben taught me that when you commit yourself to do something you should put your whole self into it. In his case that has sometimes led to broken teeth or bones, but rarely does he do anything half-heartedly. That attitude helped him create a sports team at his school that is still active and help organize the “Rose Prom to beat all Rose Proms” that people still talk about two years later.
And finally, there is Hope who showed me how to find joy in little things. As a toddler, she would laugh delightedly at something as simple as a bird flitting around the yard, fireflies, pretty colors, flowers. As a young teen, she still delights in the beauties of nature, the antics of her cat, and other commonplace things I might overlook.
Being a mother for more than thirty years, I have developed a lot of patience and tolerance, but I have also learned from my children how to be a better person. My thanks to them for blessing and enriching my life.
