Sunday, May 11, 2014

a Mother's Day Blog

Welcome to the new In Search of… blog! I decided that after five years it was time for a makeover.

Since it’s Mother’s Day, I thought it would be nice to stop and reflect for a moment. For those of us whose mothers have passed, our memories are the sacred trust contained within our hearts while the rest of society is out looking for bouquets of something or other.

After my mother died, I remember going through her pocketbook and finding not only some old pictures of me, but to my amazement, some old flyers from previous shows I had done. She schlepped these things around with her everywhere she went, and it occurred to me that no one would ever love me that much or that way ever again.

As I was cleaning out the house later on, I discovered old letters and an old diary of hers, and in those artifacts, I learned about the person she was before her husband and children, what her hopes and dreams were. I caught a glimpse into her soul, and I wished I could have had a conversation with her knowing these things, but at the same time, I felt her presence as strongly as if she were standing right next to me.

For those of us missing our moms on this particular day, it is an opportunity to be kind to ourselves and to celebrate what we loved best about the person who birthed us. It is a chance to assess those traits passed down and now embodied by us and to decide which ones do and don’t serve us.

I have inherited, for better or worse, my mother’s inherent sense about people, her ire about anything unjust or unfair, and her championing of every underdog succeeding. I share her protective sense of loyalty when it comes to those I love and her far reaching memory when it comes to those to be wary of.

Whatever it is you most love or loved about your mom, I hope you take a moment to stop and give thanks for it today, and to be extra specially kind to everyone around, because you don’t know who is hurting on holidays such as this one.

If my mother had lived to see this era of the blog, I’m sure she would have found a way to carry mine around with her. If you would like to keep reading my blog, one of the new features on the top right next to this post is an email box where you can sign up to be notified whenever I post a new blog.

Another new feature is the “Donate” button right below it, which is completely voluntary and unbelievably appreciated. The technology of the times we live in is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, writers like me have the new found ability to reach worldwide audiences. But on the other hand, our work has become devalued to the point where we cannot sustain ourselves doing the thing we love most and are best at doing. So I ask that if you enjoy what you read here, that you donate any amount you like and encourage others to do so as well.

I hope you have a fantastic day, celebrating the gift of those who brought us all into the world.

Happy Mother’s Day!
Ilene
Me & Mom in the early 80's

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