P.S.

Yesterday’s focus was appropriately enough upon my mother, but I continue now with thoughts about my wife, Mary, the mother of our two daughters. I’m sure that Rachel and Rebecca already have an appreciation for the woman who does so much for them, but what they may not realize right now is, that as they mature and assume more and more responsibilities for themselves, their realization of just what a remarkable person Mary is will be amplified exponentially. For the last twenty-two years I have watched Mary time and time again give selflessly of herself to the end that her children are loved and nurtured. This maternal caring characterizes Mary’s presence in the classroom, as well, but no two people have benefited any more than Rachel and Rebecca.

Some things are just so obvious that they somehow get overlooked. Mary is the way she is because of her mother, who is the way she is because of her mother, and so on. I will be very surprised, then, if Rachel and Rebecca don’t turn out to be wonderful mothers, too. I’m sure that Mother’s Day was observed in all manner of ways yesterday, but I wonder if amidst the gifts and dinners there was the opportunity to pause in awe and wonder at the miracle of motherhood. I know that I am not alone in pondering the future of our country and of our world, but I do think that we many times fail to recognize the simple truths that could make all the difference about how tomorrow unfolds.

Thank you for your patience with the musings of this old man who spends forty hours a week trying to legally pry support out of parents to whom their children are apparently just a commodity for exchange. Yes, I know that the circle of life principle applies here, too, but I really don’t think things are going to get better until we begin revering the sacred institution of motherhood. We dads have our practical role in the scheme of things, but we will never experience the transcendent bond between mother and child. It is good that we observed Mother’s Day yesterday, but it will be even better if the observance continues today and tomorrow.