13 May 2007

Today is Mother’s Day.  As is accustom on these days, there are a number of commercials, commentaries, and articles – some poignant and some not so much – about mothers.  The New York Times Magazine today is featuring a Style piece, “it’s all about my mother” photographed by Maciek Kobielski and a Lives piece, “Someone’s Mother” by Joan Murray.  For the intents and purposes of this blog, the content of those articles is irrelevant.  What I focus on is the honored topic of the mother qua matron.

To be a mother connotes attributes of the utmost caring, unconditional loving, profound understanding, undivided attending, and patient waiting.  It goes without saying that there is an unduly great responsibility, burden, and repercussion to being a mother – good, bad, attentive, or indifferent – and this is something so often overlooked.  Perhaps we should take it upon ourselves to remind mothers of their unparalleled heavy task and challenge, just so they remember to mind their precarious steps.

There are a great many out there with mothers possessing the fine qualities listed above that helped in shaping their individuality.  There are a great many others who were not given that benefit.  I really wish I could have been a member of the former group. 

Unfortunately, I came from a mother who did not wish to be my mother and who took great pains to avoid the role.  Literally.  She started before I was born to get rid of me, but I was rather tenacious by defying my skirmishes with prenatal death.  Perhaps she was offended that I did not pay rent for the seven months I was in her womb.  Go figure.  I always just chalk it up to one of those things we just have to bear through as the (un)lucky ones.

Undoubtedly, having a mother who actually was a mother – caring, loving, understanding – would have changed me, helped me, and empowered me.  I will never know.  I do know that I can rest assured that given a model of what not to do and how not to behave is an excellent paragon of success in time for my motherhood.

To some, there is a great responsibility and unending number of dutiful burdens to motherhood.  To others, motherhood is a natural progression to life, growth, regeneration, and beautiful mastery that is perfection in love.  To the latter, I give you my kudos.  To you, this beautiful latter group of true matrons, celebrate, by all means celebrate!

To be a matron, according to dictionary.com, is to be “mature and staid or dignified” with “an established social position”.  Indeed, to be a mother in the most beautiful sense, you transcend the matron – you are a goddess – and if we had more of you, we would also have a better society of individuals.

Why not let Mother’s Day be a call to all individuals to come to the aid of all mothers – struggling, soon-to-be, first-time, veteran – to remind, to empower, and to instill their precious challenge to motherhood.  More than that, why can’t we help all mothers realize their inner goddess, their potentiality, their greatness, and their delicate strength to turn out world leaders, exemplary individuals, and everyday heroes?

Now more than ever is the time to come to the aid of mothers worldwide to empower and to encourage their excellence and in turn, to return to our societies a culture of unparalleled greatness. 

Happy Mother’s Day to all, indeed, in-kind, and in-faith!