Dear Daughter,
Happy Mother’s Day! I guess, really, you should be wishing that to me, and there will be time for that. But, let me take this moment to thank YOU. If it wasn’t for you, I would not be celebrating this day. Some say it’s a Hallmark holiday and that it’s all a racket set up to help line the pockets of florists and restauranteurs. I like to think it’s another space in time designed for us to pause and reflect on what really matters.
When I was pregnant with you, I had no idea what I was in for. I was excited, nervous, anxious and giddy. I knew my life would change, but I had no conception (no pun intended), of just how much. Everyone talks about how once you become a mother, you will never sleep again. It’s so much more than that. Dear Daughter, when you stir at night, I wake up. When you cry, my heart aches. When you smile and giggle, whatever stress was on my mind disappears. You and I share a connection deeper than that which I will ever feel with anyone. Ever. It’s like there’s an invisible umbilical cord forever attached.
As you grow older, it will be a challenge for me to let you go. It will be a challenge when you’re a teenager and you tell me you hate me. I will try to remember how I said this very same thing to your Bubby. I will try to remember how your Bubby and I have such a special, strong, mother-daughter bond now despite, or maybe because of, what we have been through together.
Thank you, Daughter. Thank you for making me look at life through a toddler’s eyes. Thank you for letting me see the marvel in the mundane. Thank you for making me see my body as a thing of beauty and awe. I carried you, I sustained you for nine months, and I continue to feed you. My body, which I tormented for so many years through diets and more, became a life giving vessel. Watching you learn how to roll, how to sit, how to crawl, how to toddle- it’s given me such a new appreciation of the human body and the things we take for granted. Watching you learn how to manipulate your toys and navigate through obstacles amazes me.
Dear Daughter, you are a thing of beauty, grace, humor and intelligence. May you forever be as curious and fascinated by the world as you are today. May you never lose your giggle and smile so big your eyes are smiling, too, May you always know how much your Mommy loves you. And, may I continue to make you proud.
Happy Mother’s Day, Daughter!
Love,
Mommy
Thanks
