Dear Life Giver, Happy Mother's Day!

“But there's a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother's story, because hers is where yours begin.” —Mitch Albom

Dearest Life Giver,

Today is mother’s day and we don’t have plans to spend it together. Mostly because I’m flying back from Texas and won’t arrive home at any hour resembling anything in the vicinity of decent. So we’ve made plans to celebrate next weekend, in addition to the celebrations we embraced prior to my departure. It’s just what we do — mother-daughter celebrations all the time, because why not.

I love that we make these plans. Multiple occurrences of plans to celebrate the joy of you being my mom and me being your daughter. Celebrating that you gave me life so many years ago, and continue to do so in myriad ways.

You are my favorite life giver, friend who birthed me, mother.

The other night I was speaking to my host for the week in Texas. We talked of motherhood and the parental-child relationship. I told her how many times in my adult life we’ve moved in together and how it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if we ended up as roomies at some time again in the unknown future.

I wanted to share a love note to you with the world at large, because you helped me expand into a world beyond anything I could’ve imagined and so many have told me over the years how much of a mother-figure you’ve been to them.

Thank you for opening up to me about your struggles and triumphs you’ve experienced in your life.

Thank you for watching movies and eating donuts with me, knowing that it breaks your long fasts or temporarily throws off your ketosis.

Thank you for being a parent, a friend, a partner.

You were a huge contributor in my birthing of Cherry Blossom Yoga -- like a mother holding her daughter’s hand in the delivery room, you were there with me every step of the way. Not only in the beginning stages as you painted walls, upholstered sliding doors, sewed curtains for the dressing area, and coming down on weekends to help me check in students and run the front desk, but every trip to IKEA to buy cubbies or tea light candles. Then you quit your job to come on as full-time studio manager so I could focus on growing the studio beyond mere survival (and maintain a wee bit of my sanity in the process). Those years we lived and worked together are amongst the many memories that I’ll cherish until my final breath. It wasn’t always easy, working and living together, but it strengthened an already unbreakable bond.

You gave me life during some of the toughest times of CBY.

You gave me life during some of the toughest times in my past relationships.

You gave me life during some of the toughest times in graduate school.

You gave me life during the toughest times in your life, when you were healing you still held space for me.

You gave me life.

So when I arrive back in Boston, when the nightly hour of arrival is only slightly mature, know you’ll have been on my mind all day. This isn’t the first mother’s day we’ve been apart, but after being so near to you again for a while now, it does feel a bit strange to not be seeing you.

I love you, mom.

Always.

Your favorite first daughter…

Your favorite middle child….

I love you,

-Sara