HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Your Love is like an island
In life's ocean, vast and wide,
A peaceful quiet shelter
From the wind and rain and tide.
Above it like a beacon light
Shone faith and truth and prayer;
And through the changing scenes of life,
I find a haven there.
- Author Unknown

Mothers come from all walks of life, and are as unique and individual as each of us. The only thing that they usually have in common is a vast love for their child(ren). I think my biggest mistake as a child was to evaluate my Mother as a "grown-up", using that standardized "mom" that we grew up seeing: A mythical blend of June Cleaver and June Lockhart (from the TV series "Lost in Space"). Only years later have I realized that moms are not a pat, perfected species. We never stop growing up or changing: That is, if we're doing the right things.

In my teen years, I judged my mother as one would judge a piece of art pottery. For those of you that aren't familiar with pottery, let me explain:

Pottery goes through many processes, which include the initial design and the initial firing. When it comes time to apply the paint, you can use a pencil first to outline exactly what you want, and then paint over it. The pencil still shows through, which causes some rookies to panic, but it fires off in the second firing process. The paint also looks funny: It can be lumpy, a different color, or look poorly applied. However, it's only after the second firing process that we see what we truly have.

We are all like art pottery: None of us will see the second firing process in our lifetime. But as a teenager, I believed my mom to be the final product and judged her accordingly. I took for granted all the wonderful things she was, and instead focused on the pencil marks.

I am happy that I still have the opportunity to spoil my mom on Mother's Day.

If you're one of those unfortunates who cringes at the word "Mom", then use her as an example of what NOT to be, and become what she should have been. But if you've been evaluating your Mom from the perspective of an art collector, and you're focusing merely on the pencil marks, give her a break and remember that these pencil marks are common in this stage. I know that I'm sporting many of them, myself.

P.S. There is a very nice program in the U.K. which allows you to "adopt" a mom in India. Check it out!