“What I do you
cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us,
including me, ever do great things. But we can do small things, with great
love, and together we can do something wonderful.”

- Mother Teresa

After
a beautiful Mother’s Day spent in Sonoma with my Mom and Corbin - Train Town
for him (that’s us on one of the rides) and then wandering amid all the oh-so-cute shops in the town square - my dear, sweet son had a tantrum of epic
proportions and I felt myself wondering where I had gone wrong. I felt
guilty for standing my ground, even though it was Mother’s Day. Things were still
supposed to be blissful. How could it be that just an hour earlier I had been
marveling at his maturity, his sweetness, the perfection of his very being? Reveling in the
preciousness of sharing the afternoon together and the poignancy of three
generations celebrating motherhood not lost on me for a second. And then in a
matter of seconds, there was absolute hysteria. What happened? Something about
toothpaste, wanting the old kind - the kind with Superman on the cover and the
not so super chemicals inside. But really, it was about sheer exhaustion and I
knew that. I listened to my gut, stood my ground and soon, we were cuddled
together in his bed and having a great chat about why we had switched
toothpaste. Then he told me to make sure I was recycling as much as possible.
Apparently they had been talking about that at school on Friday. He gave
me a kiss on the cheek and told me I was a “winner”. No idea where that word
came from but it melted my heart. Moments later, he was fast asleep with a smile on his
face. Aaagh, the ups and downs of motherhood. I know you can relate.

And so
today, I honor you for the journey we share and for all the little things you
do every day that no one seems to notice. They are noticed. They do matter and
they do have an impact. As we meandered through all of the cute little shops
today, I was thrilled to see the increase in signs and packages that read,
“Fair Trade”, “Organic”, “Locally grown.” Of course, it was Sonoma
– one of the greenest counties in the country - but still, not so long ago,
this was not the case. Somewhere, someone began to do little things a little
bit differently and it has added up to a major cultural shift. The tide is
turning.

We stand in a unique position to not only influence the next generation by acting as role models, but also, to raise the first generation of globally conscious citizens. As a mom, you are doing the most important job on the planet so I hope you took a moment to honor your self today. Do it again right now. Take a deep breath and feel proud of your self for all the little things you do. For the mother you have been, the mother you strive to be, and the mother you are. It’s a 24/7 job, but within those hours lie some of the most precious moments. Little moments you will treasure forever, and little moments that plant seeds that will blossom forever. You are a "winner"!