A mother’s love isn’t easy to express

without a multitude of cliches cropping up

or trying to sound like I know something special.

The idea of a mother’s love, to me,

is commitment, dedication, and respect.

It’s a thankless, painfully difficult job

if you do it right.

A mother’s love is confrontation, holding firm, letting go and

trusting things will work out.

It’s boundaries

celebrations

hand holding, back rubbing and

tear wiping.

It’s believing in your child, their potential

and unlimited possibility.

A mother’s love is taking a backseat to their dreams,

driving them to be courageous

grateful

and kind.

It’s balancing everyone else’s needs,

and when those needs come head to head,

backing down or finding another way around.

A mother’s love is smiles, bubbles, long walks and road trips.

It’s doing whatever it takes to get it done.

It’s growing up, facing responsibilities, and

allowing them to fail.

It’s knowing what’s wrong and right and when the lines get blurred.

It’s holding them close, pushing them away, and

reeling them back in again.

It’s setting an alarm to get them out of bed,

and another to make sure they’re safely home at night.

A mother’s love is cooking, singing, digging, traveling and

trying to keep up with their emerging and varied personalities.

It’s holding their hand during a shot, caressing their feverish forehead and

wiping away tears of regret as they slide down their cheeks.

It’s nurturing dreams and quietly cultivating new ideas for their future.

It’s harnessing talent, releasing failure and helping navigate life’s lessons together.

It’s teaching them to trust and to love, to find joy and dare to be themselves.

A mother’s love is perseverance. Dedication. Honor.

Whatever it takes to bring forth a human who can walk through this world

with grit, grace and courage.

It’s convincing them they are worthy of everything the universe has to offer.

It’s showing up to life.

This post was inspired by The Dinner, a novel by Herman Koch. Two brothers and their wives sit down for a tension filled dinner to discuss a tragedy that can change both families’ lives forever. Join From Left to Write on October 29 as we discuss The Dinner. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

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