~ Happy Mother's Day ~

When I am asked if I have children, I reply "yes, one.....that I know of." It's fun to watch the person's expression as they "process" my answer. Having only one, I often feel I don't have full and complete "bragging/whining rights" in the Mother's Club. One is easy - try three or seven or 12. Occasionally someone will say, "In many ways, one is tougher because at least if you have more than one, they keep each other busy." I am grateful to the people who say that.

The journey so far has been an incredible tapestry of the highest highs and the lowest lows. My son has taught me the true meaning of love. My son has taught me that the word "frustration" is not completely defined in the dictionary. He has made me a more patient, forgiving person. He has changed my life forever. Watching him grow up is a bittersweet experience. I know it has to happen, it's supposed to happen. Yet I long for the days when I could hold him in my arms and keep him safe. We still have the same bedtime ritual. I still cry every first day of school. I still watch him when he's sleeping, amazed at the fact I am somebody's mother. I still remember the breakfasts in bed he would bring me, when he was five years old: a not quite unfrozen frozen waffle (or two), applesauce, Oreos and a diet Coke.

Years ago he and I attended a function at our church, for single parents. Blank name tags and a pen were waiting by the entrance. My son, eager to show off his spelling and penmanship skills, grabbed a tag and informed me he would do his own. I reached for a tag and he said "no Mama, I will do yours too." He wrote the tag and handed it to me. It read: MAMA. I wore it proudly the entire night.

I'm big into quotes. My father was big into quotes. Quotes are powerful things. They can turn a situation around instantly. They can put everything into perspective. Following are some of my favorite quotes about motherhood:

"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."
- Abraham Lincoln


"The hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world."
- W. R. Wallace

"As parents, our lives got jacked up
because of you. If we had known what you'd
be like when you turned 13, we'd have never
had you."
- The Comedian "Sinbad"

"The greatest battle that ever was fought -
Shall I tell you where and when?
On the maps of the world you will find it not:
It was fought by the mothers of men."
- Joakuin Miller

"If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much."
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

"Children....the beloved parasites."
- Donna Ferguson (AKA My Mother)

It's a wonderful ride. I am very blessed to have been given a ticket.....