Mother’s Day Thoughts – originally published May 10, 2008

I am in a really good place right now, in terms of my children. Believe me – BELIEVE ME – this has not always been the case. The stages that they are in right now are so great. Mark at four is kind, helpful, and independently branching out in so many fun and wonderful ways. I also find that I am enjoying Jake at 2 1/2 more than I enjoyed Mark at that age – possibly because I don’t have a one year old to take care of. Jake’s nutty, funny, and inherently kind. They play together well and really like one another.

When I think about where I was two years ago, or even one year ago, I think “Who was that crazy person?”. I recall feeling exhausted to the point of collapse. I recall that an outing to the grocery store could feel like a marathon, and an outing to the zoo felt like an Olympic event, but one in which I was not trained. I recall two years ago when my sister-in-law came to visit, I actually almost fell asleep at the wheel after picking her up at the airport.

Motherhood has not been what I thought it would be – is anything? – but what it is, is simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting, frustrating and rewarding, frantically boring and incredibly exciting.

I wanted to write this note to give a shout-out to all you moms – you are all doing great at this incredibly difficult job! Here’s to you! Now I am going to pour myself an enormous glass of wine and toast all of you. Love you all.