Island Light: Mother's Day
Tulips bloom for all mothers in Ocean Park.
Tulips bloom for all mothers in Ocean Park.
Cherry tree scatters petals on Menemsha hillside.
Cherry tree scatters petals on Menemsha hillside.
Hippity hoppity.
Hippity hoppity.
Chilmark's yellow house under unsettled skies.
Chilmark's yellow house under unsettled skies.
Edgartown sidewalk.
Edgartown sidewalk.
Whaling captain's porch ceiling painted summery sky blue.
Whaling captain's porch ceiling painted summery sky blue.
Moving water at Fulling Mill Brook.
Moving water at Fulling Mill Brook.
Base of the Gay Head Light.
Base of the Gay Head Light.
Greg Coogan readies to row out to his boat in Vineyard Haven harbor.
Greg Coogan readies to row out to his boat in Vineyard Haven harbor.
Lesser yellowlegs.
Lesser yellowlegs.
American robin.
American robin.
Ruddy turnstones.
Ruddy turnstones.
Seaweed swirls in the current off Owen Park.
Seaweed swirls in the current off Owen Park.
Crab shell marks the spot at State Beach.
Crab shell marks the spot at State Beach.
Flag pole at West Chop.
Flag pole at West Chop.
Just as there are stages of child development, there are stages of development in every child’s appreciation of their mother.
There is the macaroni necklace stage, when children string together the master craft that is perhaps the most prized possession their mothers will ever receive. Even if it doesn’t last, something in that dangling, disheveled jewelry confers a status no diamond ever could equal, the recognition around her neck that she’s not just an overworked cook, cleaner and nag, but she is loved.
The stages wind slowly at first, through the potted bulb year and the paper-plate portrait phase, each birthday and Mother’s Day card marked by increasingly legible scrawl offering sweet words like “best mom in the world.”
And to all the best mom’s in the world, we wish a happy Mother’s Day.