Mother's Day

This morning, Paul wished me a happy first mother's day as Duffy's mama. Duffy is quite a responsibility, but I'm no mother yet. And one of the girls in the dorm sent all the dorm mothers a mother's day note this morning: "Because even though some of you don't have children of your own yet, you have about 30 teenage girls, which is the toughest job a mother has." I was suprised by how much I appreciated her thoughtfullness.

At yoga this morning, the instructor suggested that we dedicate our practice to the nurturing mother inside of us as well as to the many different nuturing mothers we have in our lives. When I spent some time thinking about the nurturing mothers in my life, it was really almost overwhelming. Is it fair that I have so many wonderful women role models? Isn't just one fabulous mother and grandmother all we really deserve? It is downright stunning to think about the incredible women who have given me goals to work towards as I try to become the woman I want to be. They are nurturing people who give all their energy to their children and then go on to nurture the people around them. It is so difficult to imagine giving the way that they do, and so impossible to imagine not trying to emulate them. I keep hoping that selflessness will come naturally when I have children so that I can begin to follow in the lead of those women I know who are so astonishingly selfless all the time. Is that how it works? Just like the body seems to need less sleep, a mother biologically becomes less selfish the moment she gives birth?

I feel regretful that I haven't sent more grateful mother's day cards out into the world. It would be a good amount of postage.