I self admittedly have not been a fan of Mother’s Day in the past. It seemed to be a holiday designed to point out the fact that my mother was gone. That changed the year I had my daughter. I had become that thing to celebrate.

As we will celebrate mothers day this week I find myself reflecting on all the things that it means to be a mother.  As mothers we all have an unspoken set of ‘agreements’ with our kids. And as I see other mothers interact with their children I am reminded that everyone’s agreement is different. I consented to the following:

1. To try to listen with the intensity of a 1000 suns to every story she tells, every   song she sings and every question she asks.

2. To know how to magically fix anything that is broken.

3. To rarely go to the bathroom by myself.

4. To always share what I ordered, because sharing is nice.

5. To melt when she flashes that one smile my way.

6. To sing the same song every night before she goes to bed. “Really Copacabana again?”

7. To smile even though we are reading some of the most poorly written and        paced literature the world has ever seen.

I signed up for all these without knowing and with an open heart. I know there are more stipulations that will be added to the agreement over time.  And I am sure they will get harder but I look forward to them. This is part of the job. Being a mother is the most rewarding job in the world. It is also the most tiring. It taught me what really using your 24 hours was about. 

So here is to my mom and the unspoken list she had for me. Thank you for everything.

I miss you every day.