Earlier today, as I walked through town with my mother and three babies, she was lamenting to me this year's Labor Day. Once upon a time, she said, Labor Day was a day free of work, bursting with hotdogs and popsicles, celebrating another gift of a summer's day, another reason to be together. This year, like every Labor Day for the past 15 consecutive years in which she has had babies, multiple babies in college, Labor Day will be spent loading cars, driving ungodly distances, unloading cars and saying goodbye. Labor Day is the end of summer, the beginning of school, but to mothers everywhere, to whom laboring is very familiar, Labor Day is just plain sad.
Over the past few months you have heard me boast about my former students. Forgive me, but this is about to happen again as I introduce you to the G kiddos:
Oh, they are awesome!
Watching these two blossom before my eyes over the last few years fills even me, their once-upon-a-time profesora de español, with pride. They are well-adjusted, witty, unique and loving young adults. What warms my heart most of all is how much they adore each other. As the parent of kids very close in age, this is what you dream of. Brothers and sisters, and best of all, the best of friends. I know not what the real future holds for them, as their adventures unfold on opposite ends of this country, but for all I know of them, as students, individuals and examples, it's safe to say that it will be brilliant.
There's much of me that doesn't completely understand what the sweet lady at Crosby's means when she says, day in and day out to me and the three munchkins tugging on, climbing out of, or squirming in my cart, 'it all goes by too fast,' but that's probably because there's a part of me that doesn't want to. I want to believe, well I know for sure that the original labor day was the greatest of beginnings. I like to trust that the end of labor days will be painless and enveloped in loving peace. I have heard that the middle years of labor days will be difficult but fulfilling. And I only hope that all the ones in between will indeed be filled with hotdogs and popsicles. A sweet mama I photographed recently told me that these college Labor Days defy the logic we new moms hold fast to all these years. You are told to never ever leave your children. Never once put them in harm's way. Never not know what good or bad could come to them. And then you do. Once, twice, forever. And it hurts. You can celebrate their success, be proud of their wonderfulness, embrace the circle of life, but still, a part of you will always miss them. I dare not imagine.
I edited these photos with this on my heart. With my own mother's heartache present in mine. And yet, surrounded by the innocence and seemingly forever youngness of my own babies, and encouraged by the unfailing love and family-trumps-all goodness I could FEEL in front of me on my screen. As difficult as I bet this week has been for this beautiful mother of these amazing two kiddos below, I hope that she is proud of what she has set forth in this world. They have touched me, encouraged me, made a difference to me. And they will again and again and again. And if my own three chickadees have to grow up, well I sure do hope they grow up as nice as the G kiddos. Labor day may always mark the beginning and end of more than us mamas can bear, but it's the smiles like these in between that will stand the test of time.
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