Happy Birthday Shlam.

I read a great book this weekend.
The Light Between The Oceans by M.L. Stedman.
It is about the all consuming desire of motherhood
regardless of personal pain, sacrifice and lies.
Great read.
Thought provoking.
Having children is undoubtedly the greatest gift of life.
The ultimate leap of faith.
Trusting that the world
in to which we bring this child,
will provide them with great things.
A joy as deep as pain.
An agony as exhilarating as pleasure.
When you make loving and caring for others
the story of your life
there is never a final chapter.
The joy continues on always.
Page after page.
When they were young
I was their teacher
but as they grow older
I am more often the student.
The older generation has a different take on this.
When I gently protest to my mother
"Ma, I'm a middle aged woman.
I think I know what I'm doing."
She responds
"I'm still older than you."
Toni Morrison writes in Beloved
"Grown don't mean a thing to a mother.
A child is a child.
They get bigger, older, but grown?
What's that supposed to mean?
In my heart it don't mean a thing."
Yet I still maintain my children can teach me much.
Shlam, you teach me to have empathy.
Understanding of differences.
Acceptance.
Perseverance.
You show me
that being your mother
is (and I quote)
"finding a piece of yourself 
separate and apart
that all the same
you could not live without" -jodi picoult
Happy Birthday Shlam.
May this year bring you
wonder and joy
new experiences
and what every mother wants
HAPPINESS.
Love you.

Being a mother is the great gift of life...