A Mother’s Love
Pictured: Dr. Pfister shares a humorous moment with his Mom in Key West.
Close your eyes and imagine you are suspended in a moist, warm, thermostatically controlled environment at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit…
As you come together chromosomally, you are aware of faint gurgling sounds and, at times, the in-and-out whooshing of air passing above you. As the months go by, you become acutely aware of a low-level rhythmic sound - an intriguing, lulling sound (as if it were made from a distant drum… a sort of lub-dub sound).
Quick rapid movement of your environment seems to speed up the rhythm and, as your world becomes horizontal, the rhythm slows its pace a bit. In your dark, unsure, changing world, you find peace and derive strength from this loving rhythm.
But no matter how you try and no matter what corner you go to, the source of the sound escapes you and you come to understand that you may not find the answers to all your questions…
Suddenly, one day your world is turned upside down and you are thrust into a world of glaring lights, loud voices, and a cold slap on the backside.
In all the confusion, everything from the past is gone, including your rhythmic source of peace and strength. As your eyes begin to focus, a form comes toward you and picks you up. As you get closer, you look into her eyes and - for the first time in this new world - you bond and find peace again… mysteriously from this new person who is always close at-hand.
You learn that if you want to eat, have this thing around your waist changed, or just have some attention, this new person is right there. All you have to do is… cry.
As the days go by and this new world is accepted (and even enjoyed) with all its colors and sounds, you find that it is much more lively than before, yet much more frightening with all these different people around…
But a special feeling comes over you, one that calms and makes you feel secure, every time that first person who held you comes into your vision.
Lacking experience and vocabulary, you can’t put into words this special feeling, but it’s like you knew this person from your dark world. One night after you had eaten, had the thing around your waist changed, and found yourself laying on her chest (about to fall asleep)… you heard it! A very loving, rhythmic sound with a very familiar lub-dub beat.
And then it hits you! This is the same sound from your dark world. The special feeling you get from this person comes from the same place as that sound. Yes, that special feeling is love and the special place is… a Mother’s heart!
Ah yes, books have been written, movies produced, and plays performed about the strength and enduring nature of a Mother’s love.
We all love our dads, but there is something truly magical and sustaining about a Mother’s love. No matter the miles or the years, our moms are always there for us.
There has been a lot of research into a mother’s bond with her children and how it differentiates from a father’s. It is hypothesized, and I would have to agree, those first nine months in the womb form a biological and psychological bond between the mother and child’s subconscious - a bond that lasts a lifetime or until death do us part. Some feel this bond can transcend death itself. Depending on your biblical or spiritual compass, many of you may agree.
In my profession, I love working with moms. Dads are great; but us dads - in many cases - don’t know our children as deeply as moms. When I really pin a mom down about a child’s cooperation or brushing, mom will defend the child but, in the end, admit that Billy could probably be doing a better job at times.
Speaking of defending, it’s amazing how a mother’s biological drive to defend her young is not only a human phenomenon but is found throughout the entire animal world. While in Africa, I witnessed several instances of much smaller antelopes going one-on-one with lions and hyenas and winning. A mother’s total disregard for her own safety in the face of death cannot be diagnosed or fully explained with rational words. The heart knows when to override the brain!
Thus, it is with great celebration, love, respect, and total admiration that we honor our Mothers on this Mother’s Day weekend.
I love my Mother very much. My dad having died when I was 15, my Mom made sure my younger brother, sister, and I went to college because she was second generation in this country from Russia and her parents didn’t believe in college.
She was a stay-at-home mom until my dad passed. She dated a gentleman who was studying to be a realtor and to make a long story short, mom got her license and went on to be the first woman president of the Medina County Realtor Board and a state representative.
I owe my determination and my life compass (along with a great deal of my success) to her. Most of you, if you really sat down and were honest with yourselves, owe a huge debt of gratitude and thanks to your Moms. Moms may not be perfect, but they are probably the closest personification of the word you’ll ever find in this world.
This Sunday, let’s all raise a glass and toast that woman who helped make you who you are today.
Let’s honor our Mothers for their undying love and strength and for always being there in good times and bad. God… thank you for the Moms of the world. We all know the world is a better place because of a mother’s love.
Happy Mother’s Day,
- Dr. Pfister