Writing with Juliet Iwelunmor

Yesterday, one of my sons cried for an extended period. His sister pinched him, leaving bruises that caused uncontrollable tears. Another son insisted we go to the store to buy groceries. Yet another wanted ice cream, while my daughter insisted she hadn’t pinched her brother. All of this was happening after long hours of traveling across continents, connecting and celebrating some phenomenal mothers while mourning for two mothers, one who recently passed away after a brief illness and another who spent the same day laying to rest her only son. Being a mother is a constant reminder that you are enough.

Mothers too, like me, come in all shapes and sizes. Our lives, dreams, desires, and dilemmas all contribute to our unique experiences, connecting us to our past, present, and future. Every action we take is crucial for our survival. We are like the backbone of our families, connecting and communicating across generations. We possess a magical ability to see that troubles don’t always last. We celebrate, create, connect, and preserve beauty even amidst pain and love. All our emotions, perceptions, sensations, sounds, and spoken words originate from within us, observing and influencing our lives. There are things we can’t bear, things we must express, things we let go of, and things we imagine as we reimagine our lives.

Perhaps this is why our stories matter. The stories we tell ourselves, how we tell them, when to tell them, if to tell them, and to whom to tell them. The things that propel us beyond our fears, those that open our eyes to new possibilities, all the things that force us to navigate from one dream to another, one joy to another, one challenge to another, yet still one desire to another, are enough. We are touched by the sun’s magic, both written and unwritten, as we imagine all the ways it touches us. To me, motherhood is the power of a hood so good that the sun touches and leaves a brilliant mark. The world may not see you, know you, or hear of you, but know that eyes that belong to you, eyes that resemble yours, see you, feel you, listen to you, love you, and truly that is enough. Happy Mother’s Day…