Mother's Day

Everyone always told me how wonderful it was– having a child, caring for a little person, becoming a mother. That the bond between mother and child is unlike any other. I believed them, but didn’t truly know what to expect when I found out I was expecting. But from the moment I saw that little heartbeat flicker like a firefly on the ultrasound monitor screen, I was changed. I was different. I was a mother. It’s a title that stirs something primal– the great desire to care completely for someone else. Every pain, every possible ounce of suffering– you would take every bit of it on if it meant your child would be spared. I want to protect my daughter from all that is bad– from hatred and judgement and bullying and pain. I want her to know how precious she is– that she can do all that she dreams of doing. She is good. She is strong. She is loved. I know there is no way for her to fully understand all that I would do for her. But one day, she will. One day, she will change as I did. She will see a part of herself in someone else and she will become a mother. And then she too will know that what everyone says is true. There is no other love like it. Of all of my accomplishments and roles in this world, Mother is the one I hold most dear.