Mother's Day and the Circle of Life

The one thing in my life that I've loved the most is being a mother. Any time I'm asked to describe myself, the first thing that comes out of my mouth is that I'm the mother of twins! My kids are my strength and I cherish every minute I get to spend with them.

I also miss my own mother - she's been gone for 16 years and rarely a day goes by that I don't think of her and miss her. But the circle of life goes on. We're born and we die and hopefully know a lot of joy and love during the time we're here. When my grandmother died my mom made a comment about not being very enthused about Mother's Day that year and didn't want to do anything. I said, "But, Mom, I still have my mother and I want to celebrate that." So we did - but I truly appreciated her feelings my first Mother's Day after she was gone.

A lot of people chose not to be parents and that's okay. No one should ever feel pressured into parenting - it's not an easy job. But it's been my favorite job. One from which I'll never retire.

Digging through some photos to celebrate tomorrow I found one of my mom and her mother in 1935 at a swimming pool. By the way, I just bought that exact same swimming suit that my grandmother is wearing!

Then mom grew up and had me. Both my parents were Italians with dark eyes and dark hair and the nurse was a bit confused about this blond, blue-eyed baby. But I got that from my dad's side. There are blue-eyed Italians, after all!

Here's one of me with my mother and grandmother. Not sure what the saucy sailor hat is all about (that one is my grandmother).

And the circle continues. I grew up and had my beautiful twins. Do NOT comment on the hair!

My mom loved those kids. And she was their favorite. We lived close to her for quite a few years and my kids were the light of her life.

And the circle continues. Now I have the pleasure of my own grandchildren and watching my daughter be a mother. What an incredible experience that is! I had no idea what a joy it would be. This is me and Jenni the night our Vika and Eamon came home to us - December 25, 2005.

Motherhood isn't easy. It's messy. There's a lot of crying (both the kids and the moms), there are those wonderful teen years, and there's the day they move out and leave a hole in your home and your heart. And there's not much feedback along the way. It's not like you get an annual evaluation or complete a project and have it graded. You don't know if you're a success or failure as a mom until it's way to late to change anything. Pretty scary.

But it's the best damn job in the world. Happy Mother's Day everyone!