A Mother's Day Oxymoron

Happy Mother's Day Nana! Here's a piece of artwork that just may come close to your awesome-mamaness...

Art installation by Caledonia Curry, a.k.a. the street artist Swoon.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there... changing the world one child at a time. You are all awesome in more ways than one. I really believe mothering is an art.

More of Swoon's work featured on Flavorpill.

Grateful to the those who nurtured us so now we can do the nurturing. Cheers to my Nona! I miss you even more on Mother's Day. I am bona fide laking-lola, and bona fide thankful for it.

My Nona was lovely in so many ways. Brilliant too.

Nona with friends on a ship from Manila to Tangiers.

She was on her way to study and expand her mind in Europe.

I'll admit, "happy mother's day" has been an oxymoron of sorts for me. Let's just say, I strive everyday to be the mother I wanted to have. Sometimes you look at your family or some of the people you grew up with and wonder... what the hell am I doing here? Often I still feel like that person on the outside looking in. The perennial outsider, that's me. Can one really outgrow being the family oddball or the new girl in school? Maybe not.

But today... today I am grateful. I look at the people I go home to everyday and realize, I truly belong. Finally.

Here's an advanced Happy Mother's Day card made by Cheecha last week.

And here's a family portrait painted by Bear when he was 5. He makes me look fabulous in an orange mumu dress and green face. Hands down my favorite portrait of myself.

Happy Mother's Day to me. No oxymoron there. The gift is already mine.