If evolution really works, how come mothers have only two hands?
Milton Berle
In motherhood, pay is lousy, if you are talking of monetary things. But payoff is priceless in so many other things.
Roxane Henke
God could not be everywhere, so He created mothers
Jewish proverb
I was recently thinking of people from my past and what they are being remembered for. Quite few of them were just blurs, I could barely remember their faces. They were inconsequential and did not contribute to my life. We all brush against these kinds of sputniks. They come and go, pass by without creating any waves, and there is no wake left behind.
Then there is the rest of the people. We remember the way they look, behave, walk and laugh. We remember when and how we met them, remember the words they spoke and in what circumstances. We can recognize their voices and what and when did they say. Often we think about what would happen had we did not come across this or that person.
And there are mothers. Beyond the fact, that we have no choice, they leave imprints, which we can appreciate only with age. There is an irony, that when we are around our mothers early in our lives, the richness of relationship is quite often not understood. Later on, when they are not around, we often realize how much they contributed to our lives and how much is being missed.
Only few don’t see how strong is the bond between a parent and a child. But there is nothing stronger than the relationship between a mother and a child. I am a father and I know.
I have learned a good deal in school and I can stand it up against anyone. But my mother provided me with a moral compass, which withstood a test of time. She helped me with decisions in crucial moments of my life, which only now I can appreciate. It is telling, but my father was not as influential as she was. He was a lawyer for a big polish corporation, whereas she had barely a high school diploma. This has nothing to do with a formal education. I could talk to her about art, music, ballet. She knew Latin proverbs. She was a tigress in protecting her children and was street smart. A powerful combination. We grew up in a time of war and communist takeover.
Now I am watching my wife and see the same traits. Two boys and a pair of twin girls were and are a big part of her life. If none is calling in a few days, she can’t go to sleep without finding out why. Strange job this motherhood is. You find out how well you did when they don’t need you anymore. And we are not into grandchildren. Yet.
Then you think of whether the children do appreciate mothers’ engagement. They may not now, but will eventually. All we want is to do the same for their children as was being done for them. And I see that the biggest rewards are the ways we are feeling, not the way they reciprocate to us.
After all being said, I am really sorry for Abigail van Buren, who said
Women who miscalculate are called mothers.
She had a son and a daughter, who in turn has no children.
After all, anyone can live the life they want to, as long as they don’t hurt other people.
