Every day we see our children grow and if we are lucky we can enjoy the journey too. Every day is a Mother’s Day because once you have become a mother you will never stop being a mother. For me being a mother is the greatest blessing that life has given me. I have learnt more about myself through my daughter than I have through anything or anyone else. I am the richest person in the world because of the life experiences brought to me through my daughter. And whilst some might think this over-sentimental – I don’t care – get over it – I love my daughter and my daughter loves me.
Nothing can compare with the strength of love that a mother can feel for her children. Animal instinct coupled with our humanity combines into a cocktail of human love unsurpassed by any other. A mother’s love can stand in front of a raging bull to prevent it from goring her child. A mother’s love can perform immense feats of physical strength and incredible endurance to protect her off-spring from the dangers of the world. What other love can match that?
I have been fortunate to have a daughter who has always been wise beyond her years. We are exceptionally close friends and love spending time playing, laughing and doing things together. We have always been very loving. She is no longer a child although she has not lost her childish playfulness which is wonderful. There is nothing like seeing her in the last moments of being a teenager giggling like a four year old. She is at university now and I haven’t seen her for a couple of months. I am missing her terribly not because it is Mother’s Day but because she is my friend and we have so much fun together. I am lucky though in that I have a collection of messages from her given to me at various times throughout her life so even though she is not here right now – she is always close.
And when I see her next – she will be wrapped up in the biggest hug ever and I won’t let go until we have caught up on all the lost hugs that we haven’t had in the last couple of months.
I still have one of her poems beside my desk that she wrote for Mother’s Day when she was just 12 and I thought that I would share it with you – she’ll probably kill me for doing it – so please don’t tell her 
I love the way that children can offer us such innocent and simple yet profound words that can stop you in your tracks and make you think.
Happy Mother’s Day
To Be a Bird
To be a bird is;
Not to have wings,
But to be able to fly
free and independently
Not to have feathers,
But to know beauty
in its organic form.
To be a bird is;
Not to eat insects,
But to reap the
rewards of nature
Not to be born with a beak,
But to learn to sing
joyfully without remorse
To be a bird is:
Not to be loved by some
But to have the ability
to love all
And for all those who are unable to celebrate the day with their mother or the mother of their family, we can all think for a moment about the absent mothers who have touched our lives. These may not be people who are directly related to us but people who play the universal mother figure nurturing the many children in the world. I am very fortunate in that my mother is very much a part of my every day. We both miss her mother though – a wise and wonderful woman who always had a twinkle in her eyes and gave the best hugs in the world. My other grandmother, whilst more reserved in the way that she expressed her feelings, still did amazing things as a mother of the family.
For Richard and Nick – it has been a privilege to witness your journey – thank you. You help to make us appreciate what we have not yet lost.
“We find rest in those we love, and we provide a resting place in ourselves for those who love us.”