To the abundance of wonderful, strong, powerful women who surround me, thank you. Thank you for not shrinking to avoid making others feel insecure. Thank you for calling me on my crap. Thank you for pushing me to be the me I am. Thank you for showing my children it is possible to be both gentle and strong beyond belief at the exact same time. Thank you for the limbs to lean on and roots to stand firm (thanks Heather for that one!).
To the men in our world who have allowed all of us to be us, thank you. I think it almost takes more power to allow a strong woman to be than not. This includes husbands, sons, fathers, daddys, soon-to-be-ex-husbands, friends, brothers, brothers-in-law, flip-flop shopping partners, boyfriends of those we love, and all the others I may have forgotten.
Thank you for laughing till we cry (and maybe pee in pants), uncountable glasses of wine, phone calls for nothing but support and reassurance yet again, that everything will be alright, crazy-loud-offkey-duets in the car, swimming with the not-for-company-swimsuit-and-pretending-not-to-notice, Saturday morning garage sales with breakfast/lunch afterwards, poker games, flipping on the kids excercise ball onto the couch, yoga with extra loving included, and everything in between.
Whether or not your Mother is with you this Mother's Day, take a moment and appreciate who she is or who she was-for you and for the world. Recognize that you could not be who you are without her, no matter what your relationship looked or looks like. No matter what or no matter hard it is to understand. She is the only person who can be what she is or was for you. Smile and be grateful. I know I am.
