For my Muse, my Mentor, my Momentum, my Mom-

 

Happy Birthday to me-

Happy Birthday to us all-

Happy Birthday to my Mother,

and all mothers,

who deserve acknowledgment on these days just as much ( or more ) …

And so it is, and so it shall be, I say-

 

There may be-

no greater joy than to honor the very person who gave life to us-

To expand our gratitude-

in the direction of our One True beloved-

That One, who we came- who we were made from,

in image and in likeness.

 

We shall spend a lifetime,

in search of deepening the ways to relate and relay-

a message of Thanks-

To the person for which (if we are so lucky)

taught us how to Love- ourselves, the world,

And, this life– we so commonly take for granted and dismiss as privilege.

Let us ask forgiveness, where it is needed.

Whenever we have failed to honor you-

Whenever we have failed to praise and raise you up,

In the name of Love-

Whenever our selfish minds have out ruled our knowing hearts, in vein,

Let Wisdom Reign-

 

As we evolve let us ask for more forgiveness,

that in our immaturity, we knew not what we had,

when we had it-

but, that we may now know.

 

What a gift you have given!

We know not of the sacrifices you have made,

to give life to us- to nurture us-

Always affirming our truest selves,

holding our hands,

through the contradictions and distractions of living-

And, always showing us a way home-

Supporting us through whimsical pursuits at adulthood,

Guiding us always back to our natural- childlike- states,

of Wonder, Amazement and Dreaming-Life…

Where we first met, As mother and Child.

For you, I will celebrate-

This and all days.

For you, I will give thanks-

to the endless blessings of mother and child-hood.

For you, I will love deeper–

Fear less, and move consciously down paths less traveled.

For you, I will do less–

pleading for mercy and more taking responsibility.

For you, I will write more–

to create more, express more and understand more.

For you, I will do more—

working on the inside and less searching for ‘stuff’ on the outside.

For you, I will be more–

in honor of what you have always seen in me.

For you, I will relentlessly seek-

to be a better version, of myself, than yesterday-

 

I promise to honor this life you have bestowed upon me,

with an open mind-

Accepting all of natures intricacies, and creatures,

with open arms- as you have shown me the way.

I pledge to treat myself, and all, as were uniquely made-

giving all the freedom you have given to me-

to find, to share, to be-

without judgment and without condition.

I vow to do justice to living artfully,

by making Gratitude my life’s work.

 

To hold life, close to my Heart.

To cherish living, alongside the Sun.

To fine-tune my being, with the Moonlight.

 

I promise to be as selfless a woman as I can be,

As you have shown me, A real woman can be-

To trust in my instincts and use them as instruments-

to cultivate sincerity-

to find humility and strength in my inner voice,

to listen intently with an empathetic ear,

to work and play, with compassion and truth as my compass,

to be a friend worth having and a lover worth loving,

To one day bear my own,

And give loving life to the next honest woman.

And I will share with her,

the gentle ways of loving and life-

that you have so graciously shared with me-

The ‘secrets’ that are no ‘secrets’ at all,

rather doses of wisdom handed down through generations and lifetimes

that we have both spent living…

 

You are “The One” for me.

The One that can and will never compare, to another-

The One thing that gave me the Only thing that ever meant a damn thing-

1. Being here.
2. Realizing & Accepting my being here.
3. Witnessing my life and existence here in the whole.
4. Taking responsibility for being here and finally…
5. Honoring the reason I am here…

You.

 

This time ’round, I may never feel quite full enough, in my pursuit of purpose.

But, as I grow, I realize- Perhaps the purpose of all this- was always us.

Perhaps this time ’round, we were meant to feel a love so strong-

That we were made to be here together,

for each  other and with each other,

at this precise moment in eternity, together-

to discover, navigate and understand our-selves more.

To journey through present and future unknowns- as One.

 

Perhaps this time ’round, we were meant to feel a friendship so strong-

to accept, extend, and let empathy guide us-

from within a home we have built together, in our hearts.

To teach each other how to learn and to share that unfolding with others-

like flowers.

 

Perhaps this time ’round our greatest achievement will be, in simply being-

A reflection of light, love and family-

As we feel it so strongly, so do our hearts-

And as our hearts have been set on fire,

may those flames impart their knowing –  into the world,

and so shall it do its own work… unto the world.

 

It is no small task to raise a human,

to do it well- an even greater challenge.

For however under appreciated a mothers true work in the home may be-

it is the very thing that makes the world go ’round!

it is- invaluable,

it is- what lifts boys into men,

turns non-believers into believers,

mends broken hearts, whole again.

And, it is-that which gives wings to the flightless, in us all-

that we may once again feel the true calling of our soul.

 

To those who have never felt it, it exists.

I am blessed to have felt it here, in this life.

The love my mother has granted me will, no doubt,

last for many lifetimes to come…

Your way is imprinted on my soul.

As it echoes its graces through my veins now,

it shall continue to do so through all my future forms-

throughout many more years here, there and beyond!

Because, wherever I am- there you are too, Mama.

 

You are the most important teacher I will ever have-

I love you purely and completely.

Because, you showed me how.

I respect you, I admire you and I see you- perfectly as you are.

Because, you showed me how.

I care and I appreciate you- infinitely.

Because, you showed me how.

And, the way I feel for you, is teaching me how to care for myself.

Because, you showed me how.

I love you as I hope to one day love myself.

 

All the lessons yet for us to learn,

yet for us to teach and yet for us to share-

with each other, Oh, I can’t wait!

 

This is OUR day, to Celebrate-

to give thanks for being born, together- into mother and into child.

to give thanks for growing together-

And may we be so blessed to keep offering our thanks-

for the gift of doing it together, for as long as the heavens and earth allow.

 

Thank you,

For turning an idea into a family.

For taking on Motherhood with so much dignity.

For understanding the many dimensions of building a home.

For consistently and delicately nurturing an ever changing family.

For rarely complaining  and instead accepting, appreciating and enjoying-

The Art of being a “Mom”.

 

Thank you,

For not compromising yourself, or us,

at the expense of man-made illusions of perfection.

For not succumbing to societal pressures,

to create the image of a “Happy Home”.

For refusing to play the game of keeping up with the Jones’,

choosing instead not to keep the realness of life behind closed doors,

or under any rugs.

For showing us how to choose integrity and honesty,

over popularity and status.

For modeling loyalty and support by putting family above climbing an imaginary worldly ladder of success.

 

Thank you,

For dancing with us as we surrender to the ebb and flow.

For not forcing your beliefs upon us, or into one house of worship.

For letting our goodness find itself, flourishing through its very own expression and outlet.

For leading us towards the sacred in all, by example.

You have shown us a righteous way –

And, its path made our home the holiest of churches, worth waking up for-

 

Thank you,

For tending to this garden with so much kindness and consideration.

We are blooming wildflowers, forever shape shifting our way- in and out of the shade,

towards your ever present sunlight.

Never out of sight from the gardener, who willed us into creation-

who gave us the soil we needed to thrive,

the air we needed to breath and,

the life that so wanted to be expressed, through us-

Seedlings, expanding-

redefining, tuning- and becoming life itself.

 

And, Amen to this living!

May it be a life we are proud to call ours-

and for which, we can only hope, will one day make our mothers proud.

 

All that I am, I am because of you.

All that I do, I do in the name of unconditional love.

And the love that i feel –

comes from the home you gave me-

The life you granted me-

And the Truth-

That we are One, Together, forever.

And, that is life sustaining.

 

You are,

A force of assurance in an ever changing world of self doubt.

The one who forever says “I love you” through the solitude of growing pains-

The one who refuses to stop pouring herself into her creation

and does it so creatively-

The one who never doubts, without good reason,

always encourages change, cheers on our differences,

praises and supports both the emotional and logical aspects of being human-

And who continues to prove- we were never alone.

 

Mama, yours is the soothing fragrance I’ve always known,

You are my home.

Mama, yours is the sweetness to my bitter tendencies,

You are my balance.

Mama, yours is the most uplifting sound I’ve ever heard,

You are my symphony.

Mama, yours is the most majestic sight I’ve ever seen,

You are my rainbow.

Mama, yours is the softest touch I’ll ever know,

You are my heart.

In you, I will be, forevermore a part of something beautiful-

And so it is, and so it shall be, I say-

 

Mother,

Yours is the greatest love of all.

Forevermore, Forevermore–

 

Sincerely,

My 32 year old self.