In August of 1982, a young woman named Michelle lay in a hospital, gazing into the eyes of her first born, exhausted from the efforts that had brought him into the world and no doubt somewhat daunted by the vast responsibility that comes with the creation of life and the beginning of motherhood.
The creature in her arms lay squalling and red-faced and helpless, with the tiny fingernails and ridiculous old-man face of all those freshly delivered. Upon it she bestowed the rather unlikely name of Benjamin Glenn Taylor. It was her first day as my mommy.
For nearly twenty seven years now, my mother has been there for me and my younger siblings as a mother is, with all of the seemingly inexhaustible love and patience and wisdom that is within her to give. We were and are three utterly different people, each challenging and infuriating in ways that are only beginning to become clear to me as I grow into the age my mother was in my childhood and realize that 26-year-olds are not superhuman and money is not generated in the depths of parents' wallets.
If my mother had done nothing more in the last three decades than raise the three of us, that alone would be an accomplishment worthy of praise in song and blog. But when I realize that when she had me she had a high school diploma and a job at the mall, and today has a master's degree and bosses scientists around, chairs ANSI standards committees, and trains people to clean up Chernobyl using equipment she helped design... The mind boggles.
If you know my mother, you know that she is among the kindest and most intelligent people you will ever have the joy to know. Twenty seven years ago, I had no idea what luck I had stumbled across in being born to such a remarkable woman. The older I get and the more of life I understand, the more I realize just what an amazing accomplishment her life has been, and how blessed I have been to be right there at the center of it. Even today, as I've finally grown large and strong and ventured out on my own, I am constantly comforted by the knowledge that my mom is always there for me, that wherever she may be, there is a warm embrace and a fresh plate of tuna noodle casserole waiting for me.
Thank you Mom, for the countless hours of effort, for your endless words of support, for showing me the ultimate power of hard work and perseverance. Thank you, and happy Mothers' Day.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
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If Benjamin is impressed and awed by the accomplishments of my life, he should have my view of the lives of him and his siblings. Each was created in an identical manner, as are all babies. And each was born helpless and utterly unformed. Each was raised in a similar manner and exposed to similar environmental influences. And each became a unique creature as different from me and from each other as there are aspects with which to differ. At each point in each of their lives, they crossed the point from being an extension of me to becoming, miraculously, their own person with their own thoughts, ideas, and will. I am in awe of who they have each become. They are each intellectual in ways that awe me. Benjamin has an innate intelligence of all things learnable. Elizabeth has an instinctive knowledge and understanding of people, which is not learnable but seems born in her heart. And William has the street smarts and savvy of a far more worldly person. In their own ways, they are each more than me. And I am amazed at who they have each become. I have stood on the shoulders of giants to reach where I am. My greatest gift to the world is to provide shoulders for my own children to stand on that they may reach their arms high over their heads and reach their dreams.
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