Mothers in Captivity
We are now asked to mother the world
To entertain the husbands and wives and children
Through this seemingly endless time
To feed and nourish with makeshift ingredients
Creating from little something not just edible
But transporting to a time of comfort
To make home a place of more love
More peace
More pleasure
It is not all bad this mothering in the time of Corona
We are grateful every moment for the blessing of our children
Our grandchildren
We are most appreciative of the times we see them, talk to them, think of them
The adults they have become (or will become)
The blissful children they were in a time much looser
We are mothering the world now
Using our magic to create hope for a future that is unknowable
(Of course it always has been)
We have prepared our entire lives for this task
~Terese
Mother's Day 2020
What a difference a year makes and yet...
A year later we are still steeped in the unknowable. Last year on Mother's Day I had the most lovely day. The daily shock of shelter-in-place was still paramount in those early Covid times. I was listening to Governor Newsom every day at noon give an update on the state of the State. The only activities at the time were walks in the neighborhood and too much wine in the evening. But that morning a year ago Thomas suggested I put on a dress ~ we are going to Hilary's. Out in the world on a beautiful morning in a dress no less. It felt magical, but in a way a little perilous. Hilary had set the table outside with a cloth and flowers. She had purchased a tray of enchiladas with rice and beans from the local restaurant. And there was cava with orange juice for mimosas. I was so grateful for the ordinary that she provided that morning in the midst of the muddle we were living.
This year I am having a flashier Mother's day. Kiel gifted a brunch for Thomas and me in Washington DC. A three course prix fixe meal at the cafe version of the most beloved restaurant in the Capital. We will drive into the city in the early afternoon and order a lovely bottle of wine to go with our special meal. I will again be wearing a dress. I will likely be wearing a jacket as well since this Spring day on the other side of the country is gray and slightly chilly, and of course, we will be dining outside.
It seems that one purpose of occasions is to highlight the passage of time; that we look back on the years and remember what it was like before. Before I was a mother and had a complicated, difficult relationship with my own mother. Before when my children were little and I received handmade cards and macaroni plates as gifts. Before I was a grandmother never imagining that pull of love that would move me across the country. Before Covid.
I wonder if that is how we will now mark time going forward. Will we always prefer to eat our special meals with others outside? Will we always have an extra mask in the car or our pockets? Will we continue to step off the curb and into the street to give that wide berth between us and another human? It is for me a feeling of some kind of loss of innocence. Now we know that it is all unknowable and anything can happen.
Absolutely beautifully expressed, both appreciation and loss.