Happy Birthday MOM!

I love this picture of my mom. It shows the absolute joy in her eyes which is one of my favorite things about my mother. She has been so many things to me over the years but that has never changed.

I believe in every woman's life it is not the relationships with significant others which cause us the most turmoil it is the relationships with our mothers. Just like the relationships we have with ourselves there is a struggle wrapped in denial. There is a necessary idolatry in childhood that is required for survival. You need so much from your mother and you get so much it is primal--they are your world. As you age though this box you put her in starts to restrict and suppress the real person inside. For just like you, your mother is not a heavenly body, but just a woman. You come to see her, hopefully, as you see yourself. Someone who is still trying to figure things out and who doesn't have all the answers, but can help you figure out what questions to ask.

My Mom is remarkable. She inspires me as a woman and as a friend. She is surprising and delightful. Full of a spirit I am grateful to inherit. She has taught me to be endlessly amazed and hungry for the world around me. She never stops growing and changing, and this more than anything else pushes me to do the same.

She's a better friend to me than anyone has ever been and that I think is the most we can ask for.

So Happy Birthday Mom

I hope your day is peaceful. I love you.