A Mother’s Day

Illustration by QU Lan/Photo by AP as seen on GMA 7-13-20

A mother’s day begins when she learns of life that’s new.

Her heart instantly stretches, as she lives and loves for two.

Her day is full of moments, both magical and mundane,

and every feeling in between swirls like a hurricane.

A mother’s day is long, though her years fly by so fast.

Her child the source of joy and pain felt equally as vast.

Blissful firsts, innocent wonder and sweet-smelling snuggles,

give way to tantrums, overwhelm and epic power struggles.

A mother’s day gets easier, as she begins to see,

that perfection is not the goal, but instead the enemy.

When she’s able to trust herself and pause through the blur,

just long enough to learn that her child is teaching her.

A mother’s day is joyful when her child knows who they are,

and she knows that they feel her love nearby or from afar.

And when she learns to love herself in all her complex glory,

continuing to live and write the next part of her story.

A mother’s day is the darkest when her joy is tragically taken,

suffering the loss of a child, her soul and faith are shaken.

Robbed of the chance to see him have children of his own,

to honor him she pushes through pain she’s never known.

A mother’s day is celebrated on a single day in May.

But it’s a job that should be honored every single day.

Through the good times and the bad, awake or asleep she spends,

every second loving her child, a mother's day never ends.