05/11/2025
***LONG POST ALERT!***
A Moment To Recognize (aka My Annual Mother’s Day Tribute)
Every year, I get a lot of DMs about my “Mother’s Day Post.”
It’s flattering to me, and extremely validating to hear the stories of the shared experiences we all carry.
This year, I’ve been very introspective about life. Perhaps, it comes with age, or the change in personal, professional, and environmental status. Or…perhaps it’s a manifestation of a continued journey to understand who I am.
Either way, I’ve been thinking:
She brought you in to this world. Always remember this.
No matter how angry, or sad, or frustrated you may be…She, is your Mother.
Mine was my biggest fan. Always supported me. Never wavering. Even when I reached several of the ages that caused me to test her patience.
As a kid, I could never understand her struggles. I didn’t know the word, “bipolar.” I couldn’t fathom alcoholism. I was (they all thought) too young to comprehend domestic violence. Neurodiverse, was known as “hyperactive.”
I had a “learning disorder.” I was, “emotionally distressed.”
I now see the humor in Mother’s Day falling during mental health awareness month. Someone was paying attention.
I…am her son. I try to exhibit all of the good as often as I can, and work every day to balance, and control all of the bad. I laugh now. Believing it’s a continuation of her attempt to educate me to be a better human.
She was capable of horrible things. She never meant to hurt me. Most importantly…she loved me.
Your Mother…Loves You.
Maybe she didn’t know how to show it. Maybe she still doesn’t. Maybe you’re both being stubborn.
We…were.
I, should’ve known better. Once I recognized, I could’ve done things different. By the time I realized it, she was weak, and sick, and I had to make the final, deliberate decision to not take the steps I could have to repair our rift.
I…regret nothing. I am her son. She taught me to never allow *anyone* to treat me with disrespect.
Anyone…
I’m sure someone reading this knows exactly what I’m saying. I’m sharing this because, I want you to know; you are not alone. You, are not helpless. You, are going to be OK. Maybe not today, but you will.
I didn’t see it then. It’s only as I have examined my own biases, and issues that I have been able to attain closure for some, and discard that which never mattered. I wish I’d known earlier. Things might be different today. She’d still be dead, but maybe she’d have found a little peace. Maybe I could’ve given her that final gift. My own selfishness, likely cost me time with the most important human being in any human’s life. If there’s a modicum of regret, it is that.
A final lesson, learned.
Time…is the only unrenewable resource in your life. It is the most important currency in the Universe.
There are those who believe in reincarnation. I’m not sure what that means, but…I do know this. It’s irrefutable.
Your Mother lives on…in you. You are *literally* made from her. And so…accept that you, carry all of her, within. All you are…is born of her.
And so…Today is a good day to give both of you a break.
It’s never perfect. Nothing worth having, ever is. If you’re fortunate enough to have them in your life, your story isn’t over. You can write a different ending. It is your choice.
As I am wont to do, my $.02
Call her. Text her. Acknowledge her in some way.
You…are her. Forgive
“She raised you better than that.” - whisper in the air
Happy Mother’s Day!
Thank You For Reading…
