Dragon moms and lost soldiers
On Sunday night, I read an article that was shared at askmoxie.org, one of my favorite parenting websites. If you haven’t read this yet, you should immediately.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/opinion/sunday/notes-from-a-dragon-mom.html?_r=1&src=tp&smid=fb-share (The author also has a blog, ourlittleseal.wordpress.com that is just as powerful and beautiful as this article.)
The author’s words and story have invaded my soul. While it’s not the first time (and sadly, not the last) that I’ll hear of a tragic situation like this, the way that this mother has expressed her sadness, rage, and overwhelming love for her son has both devastated and uplifted me. Her words have affected me in the way that only powerful, authentic art can; it leaves the reader/viewer/listener with a profoundly changed view of themselves and the world around them. I cannot stop looking at my daughter, being grateful for her every move. I held Ellie in my arms this afternoon as she napped, and I couldn’t stop kissing her face and telling her how much I love her, how fiercely I feel this emotion, how it almost takes my breath away. I cannot stop thinking about how much I sweat the small stuff, my first world problems. I cannot stop grieving for this mother, and wishing that I could take away her family’s pain.
In the midst of all this, I watched a story with a happy ending today. After over five years in captivity by the terrorist group Hamas, the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit came home to his family in Israel today. Alive. This is a miracle that I didn’t imagine would happen. Three years ago, when the soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were brought home in coffins after being kidnapped by the terrorist group Hizbollah, I feared the same ending for Shalit, who had already been in captivity for two years at that point. When the news that Shalit was part of a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel came out last week, I prayed that he would be returned alive. Looking at the photos and videos of Shalit as he saw his family for the first time, I was amazed at the resilience of this young man and his family. He is painfully thin and drawn, and has lived through more anguish than anyone deserves to endure, but he is here with us. His mother and father have their son back, and will be able to hold him in their arms tonight. It is truly a miracle to witness, as an Israeli, a parent, and a human being.
Both of these stories are filled with pain and suffering, and are such a wakeup call to me to be in the moment, grateful for what I have, and less anxious about what the future holds. I’m only in control of how I live in the moment, and I want to be better at being in the here and now. In the aforementioned article, the Dragon Mom talks about loving her child in the here and now, because that’s all there is. And I can’t help but think that this is true as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a teacher, and a friend. I need to give all the love that I have in my heart to the people that I care about now, and not wait for that perfect moment. Because the perfect moment is now.
