By Jen Slayden
A mother gave birth to her youngest child. Seven had come before her, and six had survived. She had more on her plate than many mothers could ever fathom. One day, as the youngest child went with her mother to visit a friend, the three year old turned around. She did not see her mother anywhere.
“Where is my mother?” she said. I will go look for her.
The preschooler ran down the road to find her mother. She came across an elderly couple working in the lawn outside their home.
“Are you my mother?” the child asked the woman.
“No, but I will help you find her,” said the woman.
The elderly couple fed her cookies and milk and spend over an hour trying to interpret the mispronounced last name. They finally got a hold of the frantic mom and returned the child safely to her nest.
The young child grew until she was in grade school. She found herself in a unfamiliar town, a new school, and a different neighborhood. On the first day of school the child and her sister walked together toward their new schools, the young girl going to the elementary school and her older sister starting her senior year in high school. As they approached the street where her older sister needed to turn, the nine year old looked up with misty oval eyes and pleaded:
“Please, will you walk with me the rest of the way? I am scared to go by myself.”
“I am not your mother. I am your sister. But I will take you.” The two sisters held hands and walked to the elementary school. The older sister introduced her young sister to the teacher, making sure she was safe and secure before venturing back to the high school where she was counted tardy on her first day of class.
The child stopped to think. The elderly couple and sister were not her mother. “I have a mother,” said the child. “I know I do. But I am seeing many other types of mothers too.”
In the blink of an eye, the child was a teenager. She liked socializing and spending more time away from home. Then tragedy struck when three friends were in a automobile accident.
“I need you like a mother!” two best friends said as they comforted each other and mourned the fact that life would never be the same. And it wasn’t.
The journey continued. The twenty-something year old married and looked at her husband’s mother.
“Are you my mother?” she questioned.
“No, I am your mother-in-law, and I promise to never act like a mother-in-law, for I cherish you.” She then lived up to her promise.
Two years passed and the young woman found herself screaming in excruciating pain during the birth of her first child.
“MOTHER!”
“Yes, you are a mother now,” stated the woman doctor. “Congratulations!” The same doctor delivered the speech and the congratulations two more times over the next six years, placing the ultimate gift of love and responsibility into the new mother’s arms.
“Are you my mother?” the frightened, depressed, postpartum mother said to her neighbor.
“No, but I will always treat you like another daughter,” she said as she forced her outside for a walk in the fresh air. The neighbor insisted that there was ALWAYS a light at the end of every dark tunnel. Then she lifted her up, up, UP.
"Mother" Vonnie
“Are you my mother?” the mother screamed to Mother Nature. The forest did not answer, but instead blew the breeze gently to dry her tears, scented the lush moss and vegetation to heal her aching soul, and opened fields of wildflowers amongst the creek to let the sun shine upon her face. She gave her mountains to climb and breathtaking views to remind her that peace existed.
“YOU are my mother,” she stated to her birth mother, as she watched her interact with her grandchildren in a loving and tender way.
“I understand now that I am a mother. I empathize. I know you did your best and I love you.”
“Are you our mother?” my three children teasingly asked.
Children growing deep roots as they are supported by many limbs. Mother's Day 2011
“I am one of your mothers. In your lifetime you will meet many mothers disguised in names and labels of all sorts. They will come to you when you least expect them, and when you need them most. For motherhood is far too difficult to navigate alone, and much too joyful to keep to yourself,” I replied.
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This speaks to me deeply. There are so many different roles a mother plays for as many different people. Well done my friend!
Thank you Jenna. And thank you for being an integral part of my own children’s lives!
xo
I love this post Jen…I think it’s one of my favorites! My sister was 10 years older than me and certainly was my mother in lots of ways. What a great time to honor not only our role as mothers to our children, but to being great role models and mothers to lots of people!
thanks sarah!
I laugh when my older sister calls her daughter by my name….but I hope that I can be there for both my sister’s daughters like they were for me!
At first all I was going to write is wow! Then I was going to say, “I wish I wrote that.” But that would sound jealous! I love that you took a childhood favorite book and gave it such meaning. I think this is one of my favorite posts, too. Great writing Jen!
Oh Betsy….you are so sweet. I have read some of your posts and felt that way too!
I am so glad you picked up on the favorite book theme….wasn’t sure that would come through or not, but did not want to spell it out!
It was one of my favorite, always, to read to my kids when they were little…..
Thanks Betsy, for your continued support and friendship!
Isn’t this the truth? I said Happy Mother’s Day to many of mine this weekend, too. How lucky am I.
Well done, Jen. And Happy Mother’s Day.
I am so glad you got some time to honor your MOTHERS, Jennifer!
How lucky are THEY, to have you around to share the love!
Ahhhhhhhhhhh. LOVE this. I had tears (of course, lol) at the last paragraph, especially when looking at your photo and knowing that soon the story shall repeat itself. Beautiful, just beautiful.
Sheila,
That circle of life, huh? Hard to believe it, but it is here.
That picture will be one of my favorites, I think.
The calm before the storm? 10 min. after we took it, it started pouring and snowing in the mountains.
Thanks for your wonderful support!!
Jen
Through my tears I finished the beautiful story. I feel so honored to have you as my second daughter. You made mothers day so special this year. Thank you! Your family is such a part of our lives.!
Love you,…Vonnie.
xoxox
Thank you Vonnie. We enjoyed our day so much! Thank you for being part of our village:)
Love you back!
That was beautiful…..Made me cry…… and of course I could relate in many ways that only you would understand. xxoo
Hugs….
Beautiful.
thank you, friend!
May “mother earth” provide you with a bountiful harvest this year. Your landscaping and Riley’s trail building contribute to the good health of your portion of that “earth”. Good to all of you.
Beautiful. Just… yeah.