Happy Mothers Day

I received this email from my daughter today. It filled my heart with joy and I wanted to share it.

8 May 2011

I am so grateful to have reached this stage of my life and to have developed the wonderful relationship I now have with my mother.  Many mother/daughter relationships in this world seem to be fraught with challenges and turmoil and I would never exclude my relationship with my mother from that category.  My mother and I are very different beings with different personalities, priorities and preferences and this of course led to challenges within our relationship.  But when it all comes down to it I think my Mom and I are more alike than different and our priorities are so much the same – to stay connected with ourselves, our families and our friends even as we explore the world and all that life has to offer. 

Family is so important to my Mom that she moved 3000 miles across the US when I started to have children because California was not the heritage she wanted to share with her grandchildren – her roots lay in the Northeast and that is where she wanted to return to and share with the next generation.  With this move came the drive to reunite the women in our family, so she started a sacred circle 7½ years ago giving the women in all generations the chance to heal, bond and love.  Those family priorities manifested again when I had my daughter and my parents moved 2000 miles to a foreign country and culture in order to develop a solid relationship with Kamala while she was young.  As our family gathered this February to support the Breast Cancer marathon and to hang out, I realized that family truly is one of the most important things we will ever have and that staying connected with and supportive of our families is what life is all about. If we can’t spend our time, money and energy doing that we are missing out on a lot of what life has to offer.  Thank you Mom for instilling this in me!

The other great lesson I have learned from my mother is the importance of staying connected to ourselves.  I love seeing how many lives my mother has lived in just the short 65 years she has been around – the jobs she has held, the places she has lived, the hobbies she has explored.  This is such a great model for me when I feel stuck  – like wondering if I will ever live a life again without a baby attached to my breast or a toddler pulling on my leg or a child whining for my attention.  Her life helps me see that each is a phase and each phase will pass and the point is to enjoy that time for what it is and pay attention to when we are called to shift to something else.  I marvel now especially at how much more my Mom is finding out about herself and her passions and how much she is getting to experience the fullness of life with energy and enthusiasm.  Thank you Mom for be a model on aging and living!

And perhaps the greatest treasure my Mom has given me is her friendship.  It has been wonderful to find the levels on which we truly connect and get to explore and experience them with her – hiking, reading, running.  My Mom has friends for every occasion and interest – those to shop with, those to exercise with, those to dine with, etc.  I am grateful to be on that list and to share special times in life as friends together.  Running the half marathon together was a tribute to the importance of and dedication to family, friendship and ourselves that we share and I cherish the memories and photos of us raising our joined hands together!  Thank you Mom for the gift of your friendship!!

I love you Mom.  Happy day to you!!

Thanks Kelly, from the depths of my heart. Being your mother is my favorite role so far. I love you and honor the great mother you've become. I cherish our friendship.

And Happy Mothers Day to my blog friends! Days like today make it all worthwhile.