02/28/2015
For the past week–a very busy week, I might add–I’ve been thinking a lot about a topic that you might find surprising: Moms.
In fact, the past week was SO busy, that despite experiencing several poignant moments, I almost missed them:
There’s the mom who is courageously and tirelessly helping her own mother—a lady who is unfortunately coping with a very serious illness yet, all the while, striving to maintain her dignity.
Then, there’s the young mom who is basking in the joy of her little one’s first birthday and all the attendant milestones that come with that special date.
There’s the mom who unwaveringly advocates for her son who has a very rare chromosomal abnormality that has yet to be fully elucidated and understood.
And there’s my own mom who has been by my side from the very beginning, as we embark on a very difficult but gratifying and fulfilling new chapter in our lives that we call “Joy & Crown.” Joy & Crown has been a tremendous challenge—somewhere in the list of “major firsts” like learning to walk, learning to drive—according to my dad, this is a skill I’m still learning to acquire–, and leaving home for the first time!
What do these moms all have in common? They don’t stop to complain: they just keep doing.
It reminds me of a song entitled _These Are the Women I Come From_. When I stop to think about it, the women I come from were not only excellent moms to their own children (I could never hope to live up to that standard of motherhood!), but they were moms to everyone who was around them. They were responsible, caring, and deeply committed to putting others ahead of themselves.
Thank you, Mama, for being for me back then with all those other firsts, just like you are right now.