Mothers

Is it just me or does everyone feel that sometimes the Universe is sending a message?

This one began with the mesmerizing docuseries, The Americas, narrated by Tom Hanks. Each week we were treated in a spectacular way – thanks to groundbreaking technology – to the wonders, secrets and fragilities of the world’s greatest supercontinent. By all accounts, every episode was incredible, but the thing that moved me most was the undeniable thread of strength, courage and tenacity of the mothers, and the incredible instinct and care each had for her young. Just to name a few: the prairie rattlesnake that went twenty months without eating and only “drinking” by flattening herself out to maximize surface area to receive approximately 2 millimeters of rainfall per month, the Pygmy owls of Mexico, the Harpy Eagle of the Amazon Rainforest, the “elegant” Puma of Patagonia, and the most moving of all – the Mama Octopus in the West Coast episode. Week after week, the series left me breathless and in awe. I could not recommend more.*

At the same time, I just happened to be reading Nina Riggs’ memoir about “living and dying,” which is a testament of unwavering love for family. In The Bright Hour, Riggs – the mother of two young sons – writes “I can let go of a lot of things: plans, friends, career goals, places in the world I want to see, maybe even the love of my life. But I cannot figure out how to let go of mothering them.”**

Admittedly, I have a tendency toward sentimentality, but these happenings leading up to today – Mother’s Day – gave me pause. Perhaps the message is part of a larger sign of the beauty and fragility of life. Perhaps it is a reminder to support and appreciate one another. Perhaps it is merely an opportunity to say Happy Mother’s Day.

* the americas trailer 

**This article was the catalyst for Riggs’ memoir:
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