An ode to motherhood

The ways we are told we leave our mark on the world are endless. Through the accumulation of paper notes. By running faster or jumping higher. By building skyscrapers. Or imaginary worlds.   

We forget completely that the earth is an everlasting sea of sons and daughters, born into noise and chaos, so vulnerable, so delicate, so sensitive to our surroundings. And we forget that we all rely on a shining light to guide us through the darkness.

The pebble sends a ripple as it splashes into the lake. But for us children, the ripples last for eternity. 

With every 3am feed, every hair combed, every meal cooked, every reassuring word, you sculpt a soul which feels that little bit more safe, that little bit more comforted and that little bit more loved. 

The greatest tasks of mankind go unpaid, largely unendorsed and unacknowledged. Today, however, we can say thank you to the people doing the hardest, most important job in the world for the least amount of applause. We come into the world as nothing but potential. It is you who fill us with kindness, empathy and a desire to leave this crazy place a little better off than when we arrived.  

Some carry them in their tummy, some carry them on their shoulders and some carry them when they can walk no more. But all mothers carry an almighty load for every minute of every hour of an entire lifetime. 

We say thank you. For teaching, hugging, cleaning, moulding, laughing, comforting and loving. 

We couldn’t be us without you.