The Tapestry of Mothers

As I woke this morning I began to think about my mother, Ruthie, my mother-in-law, Esther,  and ALL the mothers that played their parts in not only influencing my life, but more importantly in the way they influenced my mothering “style.”  I think the most important messages my mom  gave me were that I had no limits, that I shouldn’t sweat the small stuff, that happiness was more important than most anything else, that exercise is paramount and that sometimes accidents can turn out to be blessings.  My mother-in-law was one of the kindest, least self involved people I have ever known, introduced me as her daughter and always assured Mitch, the kids and I that this was “OUR America,” where we could have it all.  Neither of you ever interferred in our lives or decisions, even when it must have been terribly difficult to keep silent.  I miss you both very much and thank you for continuing to watch over our family, as I know you always do.

I also woke up thinking about some other moms who influenced me quite a bit through the years.  They include (but are not limited to) Judy Wasserman, Rose Pucci, and Marie Nastasi.  These wonderful woman influenced me by simply modeling the type of mom behavior that I would grow up to only hope to emulate…just a little bit.  There was always room for one more at their tables, and they always made me feel welcome.  I don’t know if these 3 have any idea how much they impacted who I am today, but I sure do hope so.

Happy Mother’s Day to Ellie, Pappa-Zipp’s partner, who is kind, overly generous with our children, and beautiful inside and out.  This family is lucky to have you in our lives.

Happy Mother’s Day to my wonderful big sister, sister-in-law and the rest of the ladies in the Bregman/Zipp extended family who are mothers!  Happy Mother’s Day to my wonderful girlfriends, several of whom I went through the child-raising stage of life with, side by side, day by day, making parenting that much more fun!  Others I met later on but their contributions to my parenting have been huge, like Lesley who taught me “if you build it they will come.”  Thank you for that lesson, as Thursday night dinners have become so special around our home.  Happy Mother’s Day to my many students who not only fill a void in my life by being motherly, but who have also taught me so much about life and parenting.  I can’t wait till I can come to you all for grand-parenting advice…some day!

While I honor my own Moms this morning, I know that the tapestry of mothers in my life has woven the fabric of the woman and mom I am today.   I honor all of you and am so grateful for your presence in my life.  Happy Mother’s Day and much love.