Mothers Day pictorial

My mother and I (six months pregnant!) somewhere in Asheville, North Carolina. I look at us and first think about how we have so many differences, differences I sometimes feel can be a big hurdle in our relationship. But then I look again, and I see how we both have a sort of sarcastic look on our faces, and I think of how hardly a day goes by where we do not call one another, and I think it is pretty clear I am her daughter.

More than anything, I love to see how much she loves my kids. She would do anything for them. Just like I would. And then I realize that she loves me the way I love them. It is sometimes hard to imagine she once held me like that and kissed my fat check like that. But she did.

When Luke was in the NICU and had his open-heart surgery, she was there every day, but only if I wanted her to be there. The offer was there, whatever I needed, she would oblige.

Now, life isn't as dramatic, but it is the same. She will be here for me whenever I need her. And I will be there for them when they need me. But if they tell me they must try something on their own, they must have a moment without me, I will oblige. I won't always want to. But I will.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms, the women who are always at the ready for their children, always trying to figure out what it is our kids need and to give it to them, always trying to maintain the gap of our differences, to let our kids be the best version of themselves they can be (whether it is who we imagine them to be or not). And especially Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, who has taught me so much about how to do just that.