Thursday, February 4, 2010
What I Would Tell Her....
WHAT I WOULD TELL HER: (If I knew what to say.)
You are a miracle.
And I have to love you this fiercely: So that you can feel it even after you leave for school, or even while you are asleep, or even after your childhood becomes a memory.
You’ll forget all this when you grow up. But it’s okay.
Being a mother means having your heart broken.
And it means loving and losing and falling apart and coming back together.
And it’s the best there is. And also, sometimes, the worst.
Sometimes you won’t have anyone to talk to.
Sometimes you’ll wonder if you’ve forgotten who you are.
But you must remember this: What you’re doing matters.
And you have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs.
The truth is, being a woman is a gift. Tenderness is a gift. Intimacy is a gift. And nurturing the good in this world is a nothing short of a privilege.
That’s why I have to love you this way. So I can give what I have to you. So that you can carry it in your body and pass it on.
I have watched you sleep. I’ve kissed you a million times. And I know something that you don’t, yet:
You are writing the story of your only life every single minute of every day.
And my greatest hope for you, sweet child, is that I can teach you how to write a good one.
The essay and video both by Katherine Center
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Beautiful essay! Thank you for sharing it today.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh I wish I would have written that!!!! It is so powerful, so simple and so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThere are many mothers who feel blessed to be a parent. (some,not so much) Image what the world would be like if all mothers said to their children "I love you this fiercely."
To a beautiful, compassionate and powerful mother - I admire all that you do for your children.
Hugs, Mary
mm.mkeat.com
Thats so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI am sitting outside of Haley's school with tears streaming down my face - thank you for sharing this beautiful message- your timing was PERFECT
ReplyDeleteI love "I have to love you this fiercley!" Isn't that the truth????
ReplyDeleteI love you this fiercly!! God- how true...
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful. I love my children fiercely as well. Sometimes so much that it hurts. I was just thinking about it today in reference to some boys at school that broke my son's heart. Part of me wants to go rip their heads off their arrogant little necks. A really nasty part of me hopes bad things happen to them. But then the calm, level headed part of me realizes that these things will teach my son what NOT to be. And one day when he's CEO of the company they work for, he'll chuckle while he signs their paychecks. (At least in my mind this is how life works out.)
ReplyDeleteEvery second of every day a Mother is a Mother in her heart and in her heart love grows like a magical garden,each child adding blooms and thorns we never anticipated having in our life. May God Bless us and give us patients to tend our gardens.
ReplyDeleteYep, I've already seen this one before. And bawled my eyes out.
ReplyDeleteA Happy 100th post to you, Tina. Looking forward to the next hundred.XO
I love this! Very powerful words. Made me get a little teary! Thanks for sharing it with all of us who have daughters!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written. What perfection of words to tell your children that you love them. I Love my girls so fiercly, I would do anything for them and protect them from all the evils of the world but we can't always do that can we?
ReplyDeleteWE hope and pray for them that they will always be protected and loved. I know I will always be there for them no matter what....
Thanks for sharing that Tina. I loved that!!!!
Love you Lori
Hey ladies these girls have a dad that feels the same way.
ReplyDeleteLovely!!!
ReplyDeleteThat was so lovely and this line is so true for me: And it means loving and losing and falling apart and coming back together.
ReplyDeleteMade me cry..thank you for sharing and Im glad your feeling better!
ReplyDeletei love this! i just watched it with my daughter - i told her i love her fiercly - she wanted to know what that meant - i told her i love her so much my heart might explode - she proceeded to tell me she hopes i don't blow! ;) thank you for sharing this tina!
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely. Thanks for giving me the heads up on it.
ReplyDeleteTeary eyed and grateful you shared...thanks! I really needed this today!
ReplyDeleteThat was beautiful! Thanks for sharing! Liz
ReplyDeleteFor my high school graduation, my mom gave me a silver locket engraved with the words "The best thing in life is giving birth to your best friend."
ReplyDeleteI strive to have that same kind of relationship with my daughter.
It's often hard to find the words to describe what it is to be a mother - this does it so beautifully it brought tears. And the photos in the video, just as moving and lovely. Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteClaire
"You are writing the story of your only life every single minute of every day.
ReplyDeleteAnd my greatest hope for you, sweet child, is that I can teach you how to write a good one."
That is a powerful thought! Thanks for posting this and inspiring me!
Darn you for making me cry today! Like a baby. Not pretty. Sometimes I curse the day I decided I wanted to be a mom. Thankfully there are many MORE days that these sentiments fit better.
ReplyDelete