A few words about motherhood

When my daughters were “littles,” I would show them their reflection in a mirror and had them practice saying, “I love you” to them.

At bedtime when it came time for prayers of gratitude and lists of whom they loved, I cued them in as first on their lists.

There are countless philosophical quotes that preach loving yourself first.

I can’t write a better one than to encourage you to look in the mirror at yourself, really stare into those eyes, be you man or woman, and tell yourself “I love you” until you believe it.

Like most moms, there were times when I was sure I had failed other courses in the school of motherhood consecutively and bigger than a certain Canadian hockey team.

All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own. This I know for sure.

I am the luckiest of moms. Thank you Heather for writing such a wonderful tribute to me for Mother’s Day on behalf of yourself and your sisters.

“You are beautifully written.
You transcend the wisdom of your favourite books, and your favourite quotes have nothing on the knowledge that you feed back to people.
You are everything good in the world.
You walked into my room and told me your heart was in perfect condition- proof that fractures heal.
You are not to be held back.
You are strong, you are mighty.

I swear you were a Greek Goddess of resiliency in another life.
In the face of adversity, you do not cave.
You let yourself feel what the world has given you, turn it around and teach us lessons of courage.
You helped us grow and never failed to give us exactly what we needed.
There are things I’m sure you wished were different for us, people we never got to fully experience.
Please never forget Mom,
You raised three girls into three women.
 If you ever have doubts, fears, worries about who we will become, take a look in the mirror. 
We have your blood running through our veins, filling our bodies with life.
There is nothing more we could ask from you.
We are not perfect but we have something to aspire to when we look at you.
Thank you for taking care of us when we were sick, and loving us despite our hormones.
Thank you for always favouring us even when you needed it more.
Thank you for loving me even when I don’t want to wash the dishes.
I wish you so much happiness that you can’t even contain your smile.
The words I have to describe the love I feel for you are simple because there is nothing complex about loving someone so easily.
I hope you can see you are cherished.
You are loved beyond measure.”