Mother’s Day: Remember the Blessing

She caught my eye.  I watched her as I peddled on my exercise bike. My motion similar to her tedious task. She gathered one by one, over and over again. A twig, a branch, and a sprig here and there. Her dedication was admirable. Even more impressive was her perseverance to accomplish such a mundane task. All in all, she gathered close to 350 twigs and branches over the course of two to six days.

At last, it was done.
The robin’s nest beckoning for new life.

And, now, the mother robin sits patiently in the nest. For the past two weeks, I see her planted in her new home as I glance out my bedroom window. She has a clear purpose and vision. Through her sacrifices, she is bringing new life into our world. Intuitively, she knows what to do. Every day, I am reminded of her patience and sacrifice.

“Self sacrifice is the real miracle out of which all the reported miracles grow.”     

 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mother’s Day – The Single Parent Way

Mother’s Day as a single parent is a blur. I was trying to recall one of mine to pull into this post for you today. Quite frankly, there were none that were “relaxing” to be worthy of mention to promote peace. All I really needed, during those eight years, was a moment of peace, relaxation, a bubble bath, and/or sleep. Oh, how I would have longed to get more than 4-5 hours of sleep per night. My wish for an easier day would arrive at a later time. I like to think of my single parenting days as building up for a grander celebration so many years down the road! 

Wisdom of a Mother

Of course, a Mother’s Day post without mentioning my own mother would not be worthy.

My mother’s words to me as a single parent:

“It will not always be this way. One day it will be different and it won’t be this hard.”

The stipulation was, I was single parenting when my children were little ones: diapers, feedings, temper tantrums, and sibling rivalry. Doing this alone was not what I had signed up for. Life took a turn on me without me being part of the decision. With all of that, eight years was a long time.

Therefore, my mother’s words to me year after year seemed repetitive and script-like. I would reply:

“Mom, you said that last year. “

“Mom, you said that two years ago.”

“Mom, you said that 3, 4, 5 years ago….”

As the story goes, I heard her words for many years.

Peace, Relaxation & Sleep

At last, one day it was different!  Life became easier, I could breathe again. Peace, relaxation, and sleep became possible. My mother no longer needed to say those words that year and subsequent years.

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Finally, patience paid off. Similarly, it will pay off for the mother robin settled in her nest. She, too, will have a chance to spread her wings and fly into a world less confining than her small nest.

And perhaps, looking back, will she recognize that the true blessing was right beneath her all along? 

Happy Mother’s Day to you.

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Photography Credits

Photo by Євгенія Височина on Unsplash – Female statue, hat, woman
Photo by Serafima Lazarenko on Unsplash – Nest of twigs
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash – Artwork of nest
Photo by Ibrahim Rifath on Unsplash - Close up of flower
Photo by Serafima Lazarenko on Unsplash - Grape plant
Photo by Samuel Isaac on Unsplash – Nest of bird eggs