I Am Mom

A couple of years ago, my eldest daughter gave me a nameplate that reads : "I AM MOM. What's your superpower?" It gets a lot of comments. It never gets denied it's truth. Being a parent is simply powerful. I'll go ahead and be corny and say in my best superhero voice...You must use your power for good and not evil.

You will not find me on the cover of Parent's Magazine holding an award for my parenting, but most of us parents have had at least a few triumphs over adversity that made us feel like we deserved an award. (Those are the times that we went and ate that candy bar that we hid behind the cleaning supplies in the laundry room.) Most kids can recite some phrases that their parent has said to them over a million times. I'm sure my daughters can. There were a few that I adopted to answer their questions. You see, you've just got to have a few handy responses in your back pocket so you can get through the day. Sometimes you even need these responses to remind yourself that you (might) know what you're doing.

Becoming a widow was shortly followed by the death of my Dad. These events greatly changed how I saw myself as a Mom and a role model for my daughters. I found that I was a stronger person than I ever gave myself credit for. Maybe that new belief was out of self preservation. How does one forge forward with such grief on their shoulders without believing they can? How could I ask my then 12 and 6 year old children to be strong, if I wasn't believing in my own strength? I began to see a recurring image in my mind whenever a new crisis hit me: An army of angels, headed by an angel with a mighty sword. And they were on my side. I think when you have the responsibility of caring for, and loving your children, you have the ability to manifest any strength you need,

Another amazing thing that had occurred before my father's death, was a repaired relationship with him. It is one of the most beautiful things that happened in my adult life. I had spent over 2 years not speaking with him. In the year prior to reconciliation with him, I had faced reasons for dealing with forgiveness. It caused me to return home and face forgiveness with my Dad. It was unspoken forgiveness between the both of us. It was beautifully effortless. It was truth. Six months later, I would learn that he was dying. Six months after that, he was gone. I began to realize that my Dad may have not been the Dad I thought I wanted, but that he was the Dad I had needed. He had been tough on me as a child. Some times. even cruel. It made me tough in all the ways that I needed to survive my own life choices. I began to see that he didn't always have the capacity to show the love that was behind his discipline. He was human. I was human. Sometimes our human form interferes with our divine purpose. Our purpose is to love, but sometimes, we have to develop superpowers to do that. These realizations led me to one dreaded speech for my daughters. When they didn't like my discipline, I would state "I may not be the Mom you want, but I'm the one you need." In forgiving my father, I had forgiven myself as a mother. Being the parent is your superpower. So is being human.