I, Their Moon

9 November 2015

I circle them like a moon and they my planet. I’m always there, even when their suns eclipse me.

My children gather stars to their breasts like a brilliant bouquet. Each solar bloom bursts upon their scene. Friendships, frenemies, and nemeses supplant family bonds. Activities interfere with household interactions. A new level of self-absorption engulfs my darlings as youthful dramas embroil their passions. The solar landscapes change. Friends revolve out. Avocations, vocations, and academic pursuits shuffle. My children’s rotations wobble, escalating and erratic as the changes in their growing bodies.

Yet I orbit, watchful, listening. I soothe their spirits and validate their storms. Their concerns replay in my worries and prayers. I query through each issue as best I can, searching for insight. Despite a whole world of individuals, I glean the universality in their situations. Mankind belongs to a common clan. If we see through each other’s eyes, we gain insight into our own natures.

Then I sift through the information and point out where they shine in their own rights. I compliment their unique attributes. I applaud their individuality and encourage their creativity. Their talents deserve exploration.

I help them control the tides of their tempers. Moderate tones and careful language, slow to anger and ready with forgiveness remains the goal. My aim is to provide a comfortable place for them to rest. A tranquil home promotes ease of spirit.

My children are my planets. I circle them, yet my moon is its own place. I find within myself words spilling onto pages, defining and validating my thoughts and confirming my fears. Here, I have a few friendships which weathered my stormy life, and I treasure them. I take tea in china cups when I can. I curl up in a corner to shut out the madness around me and read. I create. Draw. Paint. Sew. I photograph small wonders and learn all I can cram into my burdened brain. I seek adventures and experiences on my route to self-actualization.

As a young woman, I planned a life of travel, a sleek and sophisticated existence unencumbered by parental responsibilities. Those dreams remain a part of my makeup, but they’re refined and reconfigured. My younger self failed to realize the value of giving. I pour myself into the wake of our orbits, grateful for the homey tasks of helping these incredible, infuriating, complex young people begin their life-long journeys. Yet I keep a bit of time for myself, a corner of my mind devoted to personal pursuits and continued self-exploration, making myself a fuller and more complete moon.

Their lives will evolve, and their journeys will take them into other galaxies. I pray my influence on them stays positive, and perhaps they will recall their childhoods with fondness. Perchance they will even circle back to orbit with their father and me when they are free to choose their path. Until then, I enjoy the trip around their lives, as they are my planet and I, their moon.

To read more letters, click on The Path!