Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to every Mom out there in the Land of Blog and beyond!

Traveling down memory lane is unlike any trip you will make…it’s done from a point in time…backwards…to those places in your heart, mind and soul that safeguard your collection of life experiences like an art gallery, to be revisited upon your wish with the added ambiance of full color, fragrance and emotion felt at that exact moment in time. So bear with me as I travel down my memory lane...

My life has been a rich life…three children…each a path with its own unique beginning, twists and turns all joining at a specific point via a life marker where one became one more, not as a burden but as the joining of a grape vine…tendrils shooting off the main vine…curling upward or downward going nowhere and everywhere…supporting the lush leaves and clusters of fruit…each representing a life moment fulfilled.

I remember receiving the news with each pregnancy in total awe of this new life growing inside of me…knowing my every action would affect this new person whose life I was responsible for…and my first emotions were garnered in protecting my child.

That first kick…well actually a fluttering…I would lie down…remain perfectly still…place my hand on my abdomen and wait…not to be felt by my hand but deeper as if knocking on the door to my soul which I gratefully opened wide for each of them to enter.

Watching my body change…it was no longer mine…it was an unexplored territory being shared by another person…unseen but oh so loved!

Upon the moment of birth…that first cry…each child’s cry was immediately imprinted upon my brain…linked to my heart…and I could hear my child’s cry above all others.

With each child, when placed in my arms, I bent towards their little face and smelled their baby fragrance…unlike any scent known to man…each child’s unique…another imprint upon my soul.

Tending to each child with all the love in my heart…defining self denial…I was no longer the primary in my life journey…each child was the focal point in my life.

The first time my infant smiled at me with eye contact, the first laugh, the first tears, the first hug returned to me…all gifts beyond measure…never to be lost or given away…these are mine.

The first steps towards independence…turning over, scooting, crawling, tentative steps, tumbles, stumbles, scrapes and bumps…each time to be scooped up in my arms, kissed and reassured that I’m here…I’ll always be here for each of you.

The first of many firsts, school, church, friends, activities, attitude, sweethearts, broken hearts, their dreams and life goals…all the while I watch and wonder…Did I teach them what to do just in case…? Then if need be, they come to me...I listen…they share…I am filled with wonder at their courage, resilience and wisdom…but I am there just in case.

This journey of motherhood is not an easy one…it is not meant for the weak hearted…it is a venture only for the selfless…but it is so worth it.

Then one day your child brings their baby to your arms…you look at your baby now all grown up and meet their baby. You are familiar with the path they will travel...oh so well…and your heart smiles as you watch them begin the journey…and you begin building another Memory Lane with this new life.

May your path be filled with all the richness life has to offer…may the sun be at your back…the gentle breeze on your face…may the river of life flow nearby and God’s gardens be available to sustain you when needed. Most of all…may you know love…may your heart, mind and soul be filled with these and more memories to sustain you through all the days you walk on this earth.

Happy Mother’s Day and blessings to you and yours!