Mother's Day 2006

Well Mother's Day came and went yesterday. Here's how we celebrated...Jack and I woke up early letting mom sleep in (Jack's idea). We got all of her little presents together and finished writing her cards (Jack drew a picture of his mother giving birth--abstract). Mom woke up to breakfast...homemade waffles and turkey bacon with flowers picked from the garden (all Jack's idea). Mom woke up and ate food, opened gifts and read her cards. Then we packed the car, headed for Kissimmee, and met up with my mother and father for a walk in the park. Then, we met up with other extended family where we abandoned Jack in Raskin Chaos (the only way to describe what happens when more than 3 Raskins enter the same dwelling). Susie and went to eat and looked for houses in St.Cloud. Then we picked up the boy, drove home, went swimming in the pool, and alas, put the baby to bed. Susie had a foot massage with foot lotion picked out by Jack. Happy Mother's Day Sue!

Mother's Day has become a sort of Thanksgiving for me it seems. I found myself feeling thankful for all the mothers in my life and the mother figures.

Susie.

Jack is incredibly lucky to have this woman as his mother. She provides such a wonderfully kind spirit evident in the way she talks to him, holds him, and looks at him (even when he's screaming). This is part of the foundation that so many boys grow up without, that is, the ability to be consistent. She does a much better job of this than I do and Jack is all the better for it. Every morning, Susie sings Jack a song, "Good morning Jack, good morning Jack, good morning Jack, gooooood morning" and he smiles all the way through. Oh, and then there is the fact that she gave birth to our beautiful boy which alone is worth celebrating...in fact all women who have gone through this deserve to be worshipped on some very high level. Some day I hope to create a Taj Mahal in her honor but until then I simply will do a bunch of small things that tell her I love her.

My mother, aka Grammy Valium.

My mother is THE kindest person on the planet. She would never in her life knowingly hurt a soul. In fact, she constantly goes out of her way to help everyone she comes into contact with that needs help. This is a whole lot of people considering she owns a dance studio and has over 300 students. There is always someone living in her house, doing odd jobs for free classes, or simply reaping the benefits of such a wonderfully kind person. Often, I would say always, these people take more than is being offered but she keeps on giving and helping. This is likely why I am a counselor but more importantly it has a great deal to do with why I too care to help try and make the world a better place. My mother also has been invaluable during the past few months as Jack came out of "the period that we do not speak of". She has babysat countless times. She can't stand it when Jack cries and is excited every time she sees him and I know she was the same way with me as a baby. I have always felt loved by my mother as a result and this is invaluable to me and, of course, Jack.

Aunt Jane.

She has been more of a teacher than a mother by providing experiences to me and has done so with a great deal of laughter making me want to see everything she has put before me. She has made me feel invincible at times. She is responsible for my very large hubris/ego. Aunt Jane always told me that "your the best" or "your my favorite nephew". While I knew she told this to many, somehow, I still think that it's true. She is responsible for driving me from Orlando to Los Angeles and back in a motor home showing me that there is a great deal more to life than what exists in your backyard. Then she flew me to Italy showing me there not only is more that exists but that it is to be explore and celebrated. She has taught me the art of laughter and the importance of raising a family that laughs and travels together. I honestly can't say in words how indebted I am to her. She is one of my heroes on a very short list. She never had her own children which I think served me very well. I also got married to Susie in her backyard.

Kathryn.

I will always consider her my India Mother. She took me to India a few years back and gave me an experience that helped to anchor my values and belief systems. Basically, she helped me answer the question, "Who Am I?" and feel comfortable with saying, "I don't know", about a whole bunch of things, further giving me reason to learn about things and investigate before forming opinions. She helped me figure out what my experiences mean by giving me a framework to do so within. Basically, I learned what to do with what my mother and Aunt Jane gave me.

Dee.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of pictures or personal stories of this very influential mother. She is the mother of the my wife. The love she has for her daughter is clear each of the handful of times I have seen them together. She simply melts in Susie's presence. She has nothing but nice things to say to me whenever I see her both about me and Susie. Due to a recent move to North Carolina and life changing events for us and her, I have not seen Dee often and thus the limited picture selection. Hopefully, I will get to see my mother-in-law more over the years as she is clearly a wonderful woman as evidenced by her raising my favorite woman in the whole world. I hope that Jack can absorb some of whatever it was that she used to help create his mother.