I have been blessed with two beautiful souls whom I am honored to call my children. They are loving, smart, adventurous, and very silly individuals who are a constant source of inspiration.  Today on Mother’s Day as I reflect on the gift of accompanying them on their journey through life, it warms my soul!

When my son was born, I was a bit overwhelmed by the responsibility of being a parent.  The question was not whether I could raise a child but rather, how do I raise a spiritual, emotional and physically healthy individual who is socially responsible? So began my parenting journey. I soon realized that to raise a spiritually healthy individual, I had to begin with myself. My children have a way of holding the mirror up and revealing my most glaring imperfections.  As a result, they teach me how to be a better person and parent.  Being a mother has been and continues to be one the greatest adventures of my life and I love it!

Along the way, some of the best advice I have received has come from other mothers.   My sincere gratitude to all the women who are a part of my parenting village. THANK YOU!  My greatest source of strength and courage has been and will always be my late mother Offiong Ekpe, sister Glory and Rena K. I feel their presence daily as I walk through this journey of parenting. I thank my children Jared and Zia for teaching me what life is truly about and this post would not be complete without acknowledging my dear husband and life companion Eric Foxhall.

I leave my fellow mothers with a few insights I’ve picked up over the years:

• Trust your intuition.  In this modern age, women are often made to distrust their intuition.  You know your children better than anyone else, so trust that voice inside of you that knows the answers.
• You are raising a human being, not a 2, 3, or 13 year old, but a unique and wondrous soul with great potential.
• Childhood is a time of magic.  Sometimes, allow yourself to be swept away into your child’s world of magic, wonder and adventure!
• Let you hair down and be silly! Laughter builds bonds and heals wounds.
• When things start to fall apart, before you do anything, take a deep breath–or two–oxygen has a way of clearing the head and relaxing you.
• When you feel you can’t take it anymore, repeat these words, “This too shall pass.”  Everything eventually comes to an end.

“O ye loving mothers, know ye that in God’s sight, the best of all ways to worship Him is to educate the children and train them in all the perfections of humankind; and no nobler deed than this can be imagined”. –Baha’u’llah

Please share your reflections on being a mother (or father) in the space below.