Today I was imperfect – Mother’s Day 2013
by
Today I was imperfect
and I fretted (no less than 10 times),
that I should have, could have, somehow been better.
I was, admittedly, a bit of a nag,
I answered one too many texts,
and I felt that sickening, twisty pain in my gut,
as I shamefully realized how distracted I had become
midway through my daughter’s excited recitation
of the tale of her day.
Today, I was a teacher.
I was a disciplinarian.
And, as I evaluated my behavior endlessly throughout the day,
I prayed that, today, I was getting the balance right.
I experienced the greatest highs,
and suffered the greatest guilt,
and then turned around
and experienced it all over again.
Today I was imperfect. Today I was a Mom.
And then I witnessed,
the ever-so-gentle
rescue of a common-yard moth
from the depths of our backyard pool.
And the compassionate love,
and the patient care,
of my 8-year-old daughter’s gentle soul
as she tried to stay up all night,
quietly willing the moth to survive.
“Can we talk about something?” My 13-year-old had just risen and, against her somewhat more-timid interpersonal nature, her eyes met mine and she offered, “I’m really sorry about last night, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
A discussion, which expressed the very nature of all I have tried to teach, ended with
a genuine, loving, bear-hug of healthy resolve
and left whatever misstep had happened the previous night,
forever, and far, behind.
My soon-to-be-adult, amazing daughter.
Blossoming. Loving. Communicative.
Connected to herself and, as a result, connected to others.
My 8-year-old daughter, who warms me to tears with her gentle, compassionate spirit.
A deep-feeling and old soul whose love, intellect and depth, I am amazed by,
each and every day.
Today I was imperfect. Just like every other Mother out there.
In fact, I believe, “imperfect” should be synonymous with “Mother.”
Loving. Embracing. Well-Intentioned. Committed…
…Perhaps, just maybe, we don’t need to be perfect.
Happy Mother’s Day, to all the “imperfect” mothers, who love their children perfectly!
