To ALL the Mothers on Mother's Day

On this Mother's Day 2021 I want to give a huge, warm virtual hug and a 'Hell Yeah!' to all the moms out there who give so much to all of us daily.

Listen, the past 14 months have been staggering and exhausting. It makes my head spin trying to make sense of things. What are we supposed to do, not do? How do we keep it all together for our families, friends and ourselves? It can get pretty ugly when people are judged for what they do or don't do, am I right?

Sometimes I stop and take a giant step back and think about the big picture and where we sit on the historical continuum to try to find significance. History repeats itself, as we're taught, so what's this unprecedented time teaching us today?

We are warriors. We fight the good fight every d**n day. But we need to be smart and focused on the end goal. I talk a lot about perspective and I think it is fitting in our current situation. Perspective is everything and is often overlooked and undervalued. We all have perspective and use it subconsciously or unconsciously because it is part of our routines, our culture, our communities. But while your perspective may look different from someone living in another community or country, who you are as a person may not differ as much as you perceive.

As a mother, I observe most things as they relate to my kids and those I love. If I could put my kids in a safe bubble to protect them, I would, undoubtedly. But conversely, it's unhealthy to shield children from things, well, some things, scary things, unsafe things. I tell my boys on the daily that decisions I make concerning them are about safety first and foremost. 

As history teaches us, each year, decade and century provide a roadmap with its pitfalls, triumphs, devastation, excitement and tragedy. What may have seemed 'normal' or 'ok' in hindsight now looks absurdly wrong, or perhaps ingeniously well done. I don't have to name any specific historical event here, you all can do that on your own. The point is that what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong - no matter the year. If it feels wrong in your gut then it doesn't matter if the year is 1619 or 2019. We won't know if what we're doing now is correct, but I know one thing for sure, and that is that we are living in a historic period in time and we need to do the right thing for ALL.

It won't surprise you that I want equality for all people. ALL people. We are all people, humans, moms, dads, kids. As adults, we need to support and fight for that right. Close your eyes and resolve to make decisions based on actions and behaviors, not gender or skin color or hair texture or head covering or identity or anything other than: is it right for 'a person' to be subjected to this (whatever 'this' is). Perspective. What if this 'thing' happened to you, or your kid, or your family member? What then?

I'm not judging you. I know that you are living your life and the split-second I may see something you 'do' doesn't mean I know why you are doing it or historical circumstances. Please, for the love of people, put yourself in someone else's shoes and treat them with dignity and respect. Smile. Empathize. Support. Understand. Even if you aren't sure you do understand. 

What I love about some people is their optimism. To have hope and joy is what gets us through tough times. What I don't like about some other people is that they are afraid to open their eyes to those threads of similarity that we share, rather than fear the supposed differences they perceive.

I am a mother. Our seamstresses are mothers (some of them) and fathers (some of them). We all want what's best and to try to achieve our goals. On this Mother's Day, I wish for all of you love, support, dignity and most of all, friendship. 

However, you choose to celebrate, have a very Happy Mother's Day!!!

In humble gratitude,

Deana

 Photo: Seamstresses Queen, Barbara and Joyce