Someone once said that the moment a child is born, a mother is born. The woman may have been there all along, but never the mother; that's a completely new entity.
There are three separate women in my life whose transition from woman to mother had an immeasurable impact on who I've always been and what I would inevitably become.
One is my own mother, who bore me, raised me, and now shows the same love, affection and wisdom to my new baby girl -- her granddaughter -- that she's always shown me. In ten lifetimes I could never even begin to properly show my gratitude for everything my mom has done for me and has meant to me over the past 39 years.
Another is Jayne's mother, Gwyn. Jayne was her firstborn, as I was to my mom; before my wife, Gwyn was, as the story goes, a woman but not a mother. Gwyn also raised her first child well, showing her right from wrong; caring for her during early years that were anything but easy; loving her with all her heart and soul. Gwyn too now counts herself as a proud new grandmother.
The third, of course, is Jayne. She's always been a remarkable woman: complex, fascinating, intelligent and radiantly beautiful. She's been a daughter and a wife, a lover and a friend, but until the birth of Inara, she was never that most sacred and singular of things: a mother -- a mom. And despite our differences, make no mistake: Jayne is an amazing mother in every possible way. She's joined the ranks of her own mom and mine before her, the three of them linked by a chain of history, love, and the sometimes daunting, always rewarding care of a firstborn child. I'm proud of who Jayne has become in her role as Inara's mother. She's shown a side of herself that I always knew existed and I'm fortunate to have been able to see come to such wonderful fruition.
Three women. Three mothers. And I'm indebted to each of them for the gifts they've given so willingly and so selflessly.
Happy Mother's Day, Moms.
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