Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, a day to celebrate the woman who brought you into the world. Or, if you are fortunate enough to be a mother, a day to celebrate you.
But, for millions of mothers, Mother’s Day is more bitter than bittersweet. For mothers whose children have preceded them in death, Mother’s Day can be a cruel reminder of what you are missing. If you’re a mother whose only child has passed into eternity, you might feel like you’re not even a mother anymore.
I’d like to give you a different way to look at this Mother’s Day. In fact, this is a different way to look at every holiday and even every day of the year. Yes, I know I’m not a mother. But, bear with me.
I look at life as a long hike. The people in my life are on this hike with me. We are all walking each other Home. Each day is another step along the road to our common destination. I walk 11,000 steps every morning. As I walk, I think of each step as another day in my life. I know that if I continue to put one foot in front of the other, I will get to my goal.
For those of us whose children are no longer in the physical world, our children have run ahead of us. It’s just like Shayna to do that. So, it’s not a stretch for me to picture it that way. Shayna has finished the race and is waiting for me at the finish line.
As you’re on a long hike, you’ll pass milestones, occasionally. If you’re running a marathon, you’ll pass mile markers that indicate how far you’ve come. When you see those mile markers you rejoice. You’ve put another mile behind you. You have one less to the finish line.
Now, I want you to try an exercise. Close your eyes and imagine you and your family, including your child who isn’t with you this year. You’re holding hands and walking along a road. She drops your hand and runs off ahead of you. You know she’s OK. She’s just going to meet you at the finish line. You continue your walk, enjoying the scenery. Every so often you pass a mile marker. The mile markers in this analogy are birthdays, Christmases, anniversaries and Mother’s Days.
Tomorrow, celebrate your child, as they are celebrating you. Celebrate yourself. Give yourself a pat on the back. You child is proud of you for making it another year. They want you to be happy and continue to enjoy the walk. And, as you continue to put one foot in front of the other, covering the miles (years) between now and the time you reach the finish, you grow closer to hearing the cheers as you cross the finish line. Enjoy the hike and take everything in as you cover the miles.
Happy Mother’s Day!
4 Comments
This description of the child that runs further up the trail ahead of us really resonates with me. When our family was young we often went camping and hiking and often we would be calling our son Scottie to wait up for us. He was so eager to explore whatever was ahead. I thought about those hikes so often in those first dark days after he went on ahead of us. To measure these days and all the events we face without him Like mike markers is a good way to remember we have to keep going. He wouldn’t want us to sit in grief for too long at any marker. Thank you Brian.
Not there yet, but a beautiful way to look at it.
Thank you Brian. This is a great way of looking at this Journey. It’s not a big stretch for me either. Grace and I ran 5Ks…she eventually got faster than me and I would say just that…”I’ll see you at the Finishline!”
XOXOHEIDI
A diffetent way to look at it but a good one. Both my sons were always trying to get me out hiking more. Both were avid hikers and hunters.
I love it when fathers share, there’s not many that do . I’m hoping I can get my husband to read this . Thanks.