One of the best kids and moms I know: Mackenzie & Jennifer

In the US on the second Sunday in May each year, we celebrate our moms.

For me, this means paying tribute to all of the women in my family who helped shape who I’ve become. Thanks to my mother, Mary Fuller; my great aunt, Lora B Thomas; my beloved aunt and fantastic friend, Tandy Harlan Fuller; and my grandmother, Katherine Louise Baring Fuller.

Even now, I’m not sure that I’ll be a biological or adoptive to mother to my own children. It’s such an amazing act of selflessness and I’m continually in awe of all women who are mothers. In an era when it is a given that women will work and take care of children, those who do combine professional success with a stable and healthy family life deserve even further awe.

I grew up in a single-parent household at a time when it was exceedingly rare and perhaps unacceptable. How she managed it, I’ll probably never understand. The rest of the women in my family helped, of course. But, what a task.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. And, thank you, ladies, particularly to those who helped raise me.