This coming weekend, we have two special days.
Yes, one is Mother’s Day. The day itself has a great history we discussed once, but we’ve done many columns on the day itself. As a mother of four, I can consider myself a part of the celebration and in good company of innumerable great females. Of course, we must always account for those who aren’t wonderful mothers, because there are exceptions under every umbrella, but moms in general are incredible people.
Young children especially, aren’t going to understand this to a noticeable degree until their frontal lobes close at about age 22; we get that, but being a mother is one of the greatest mix of emotions ever. If we become one in the usual way, the process of gestation and delivery is a huge responsibility, a big inconvenience, tremendous discomfort and, still, a delight beyond all others. However – despite how we become a parent – raising children is the real fire we walk through. It’s great fun but it’s also a dedication and a lifetime concern and commitment.
As parents, we all make tons of mistakes. After all, we love our children more than anyone or anything on the planet, so, yes, it is a huge investment, emotional and every other type. Yet, we will lose our patience, our energy and sacrifice our sense of individuality. No matter how many books we read, therapists we see, experienced parents we interview, or team support we rally, we are going to be operating in the dark in many cases, and we are going to be at a loss for a great many personal abilities we thought we had nailed down. Regardless of how many babies we sat for, siblings we helped raise, or pets we pampered, none of it is vaguely comparable to, or training for, becoming and being a full-time parent.
I’m old enough to remember “The Ed Sullivan Show.” He used to feature these guys who would spin multiple plates on tall sticks, keeping any number of them going while the music played. Whether or not they also work outside the home, or have another full-time parent backing them up, all mothers always remind me of that guy with the plates. Only, especially today, moms are spinning plates while also juggling several different sized balls – blindfolded – on a high-wire – over the Grand Canyon – in one flip-flop and one stiletto. Some are keeping a hula hoop going (we discussed my cartoon of that once!).
So, whatever our current situation is with either of our parents, with their special days at hand, this weekend and next month, our opportunity comes to show our thanks. If there’s a gap, let’s use their special days to build a bridge.
The other day we are mentioning is the day before Mother’s Day, this year. It’s a far less known delegated day: World Migratory Bird Day. It fits in with Mother’s Day because birds also ask little although they are, ever so quietly, essential to life. Their day is set aside for the human population – which has done much to upset the migratory paths and life processes of many kinds of wildlife, both fauna and flora – to take notice of these creatures whose health and existence is necessary to our survival.
According to a post several months ago by the U.N. Environment Programme: “World Migratory Bird Day is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats ... a global outreach and … tool to help raise global awareness of the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.”
Like mothers, the migration of these and all beautiful wildlife, is imperative to life. They make life not only more beautiful through their existence and the gifts they give us, but they aid in our very survival and make life – our life – possible. More than just their gift of song and beauty, they teach us through their adaptability, flight and survival techniques. They help control the insect population, regenerate much floral growth, and are critical to the continual renewal of our food chain as well as being part of it.
Mothers and birds are a somewhat unique duet, but still share many devotions to us all and since both have special days in one single weekend, let’s all sing about it.
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