Around the world in 80 clicks - a motherhood journey

Hannah from A Mother in Israel tagged me for the latest meme circling the blogosphere. I don't do memes all that often but this one, started by Catherine of Her Bad Mother (a a wonderful and insightful writer - go check her out if you aren't already subscribed) and David of It's Not a Lecture (a new to me blog that looks very intriguing, I'll be back for a good read after I finish this post), definitely speaks to me. (As a small egotistical aside, I read the original post announcing the creation of this meme and was secretly delighted that it took only one day to arrive at my blog. Go me.) The idea is for mothers around the world to share five things that they love about motherhood.

I like this - this forced stepping back for a bit of self-serving introspection, taking time to not only live my life but to examine it and distill it, or at least the part of it that revolves around my being a mother, down to its essence. Motherhood can be full of lofty heights and stomach-churning lows, often spinning dizzyingly between the two over the course of a single day, with random stops at the utterly mundane.

Which of all these parts do I love most? The act of choosing seems an impossible task, but a few highlights did spring from my mind of their own volition.

I love the way my daughter, at nearly five and a half, still launches herself at me from across the playground when I come to pick her up each afternoon. I love seeing her grow and change and begin to claim her place in the world. She hasn't always had the easiest path to walk, and my heart swells with pride when I think of how far she's come and how far she has shown she can go.

I love the way my son, at age eight, still asks to snuggle on the couch - when he's not busy being Mr. Independent and making plans to go visit any one of a multitude of friends. His social life is infinitely more successful than that of his father and I and he is speeding towards self-sufficiency. I treasure these fleeting moments of little boyness even more for knowing that their days are numbered.

I love the chance to experience magic, actual magic, through their eyes with each new experience. To be the one to open new worlds to discover.

I love getting to know the people my children are becoming, both because of me and despite me, as I walk alongside them on their journey.

And I love what motherhood has done to ME - how it has made me more loving, more patient, more giving. Less selfish. More vulnerable. More accepting.

And just like that I've reached five, with so much still left unsaid. It's an impossible task of course, but I've made my dent in it.

Now it's your turn to make yours. To honor the international spirit of this meme I'm going to pass this task along to mothers in five completely different parts of the world, as well as to anyone else out there who wants to participate:

Meredith from Poppy Fields (France)
Vanessa from Daffodil Campbell (Maui)
Grace from Sandier Pastures (Dubai)
Elizabeth from Planet Nomad (Morocco)
Stacey from Is There Any Mommy Out There? (Pacific Northwest)