Aemma
05-10-2009, 03:26 AM
On this Mother's Day I wish to thank a very special person in my life who has offered me the gift of relevance to my very earthly existence, my beautiful son. :) The Norns sought fit to have a beautiful spirit choose me as its mother some almost 13 years ago and I have endeavoured to keep their trust in me to be all that I could be as the female nurturing parent of this most incredible of creatures. When I look deep into his milk chocolate eyes which are framed by a thick mass of long black eyelashes, I see all that was and ever has been and ever shall be: myself, my husband, our parents, our forebears, our ancestors, our people. I see a continuity of blood and spirit and purpose. I see a continuity of love, respect and loyalty. I see a continuity of meaning and solidarity. I see the tangibility of continuity.
Were it not for the birth of this splendid creature over a decade ago, I would not be the woman I am today. Were it not for the birth of my son, my blinders to some of the ills which plague us today would not have been lifted. Born from my loins is a male child who is growing up in a world that is quite different than that in which I grew up. He is a male child of Northern European descent. He is a minority in a sea of equal opportunity strategies, yet he is not seen as an equal in such strategies. Doors are already closed to him for the sheer reason that he is a male who is not a visible minority. He doesn't know this yet. And I haven't the heart to tell him that this is the world in which we live. But there'll be time, much later, to discuss some of these ugly realities of life, well after the tears shed over his first rejection by a girl and the shouts of glee over getting picked for a particular school sports team have come and gone. In the meantime I must live with this dirty little secret. I don't relish the day that he finds out that he is not considered an equal candidate for work despite his intellect, his work ethic, his drive to succeed but most importantly, his ability. I don't relish the day that such a realisation might make him feel like less of the great human being that he is. I don't relish the day that his spirit is broken as a proud man of Northern European descent. It is my job to make sure that this last one especially will not happen. The Norns have gifted me; my ancestors have entrusted me. All I can do is to continue to do my job to the best of my capability and to mitigate as best as I can some of the negative influences on his Being.
On this Mother's Day, I raise a horn to my beautiful son and thank him for he himself having given *me* Life. :)
Were it not for the birth of this splendid creature over a decade ago, I would not be the woman I am today. Were it not for the birth of my son, my blinders to some of the ills which plague us today would not have been lifted. Born from my loins is a male child who is growing up in a world that is quite different than that in which I grew up. He is a male child of Northern European descent. He is a minority in a sea of equal opportunity strategies, yet he is not seen as an equal in such strategies. Doors are already closed to him for the sheer reason that he is a male who is not a visible minority. He doesn't know this yet. And I haven't the heart to tell him that this is the world in which we live. But there'll be time, much later, to discuss some of these ugly realities of life, well after the tears shed over his first rejection by a girl and the shouts of glee over getting picked for a particular school sports team have come and gone. In the meantime I must live with this dirty little secret. I don't relish the day that he finds out that he is not considered an equal candidate for work despite his intellect, his work ethic, his drive to succeed but most importantly, his ability. I don't relish the day that such a realisation might make him feel like less of the great human being that he is. I don't relish the day that his spirit is broken as a proud man of Northern European descent. It is my job to make sure that this last one especially will not happen. The Norns have gifted me; my ancestors have entrusted me. All I can do is to continue to do my job to the best of my capability and to mitigate as best as I can some of the negative influences on his Being.
On this Mother's Day, I raise a horn to my beautiful son and thank him for he himself having given *me* Life. :)