Happy Mother’s Day!
What does it mean to you to be a mother or a daughter? I find it very hard to punt into words, but a few years ago, I had a chance to put it into images.
I was asked to take a picture of something I love dearly for a charity auction. So I captured the eyes of the two most important women in my life: my daughter and my mother. On top of that, I photographed my own eyes, creating a picture that embodies three generations of ‘Dekkers empowerment’.
I also added a mantra for each generation:
‘Dare to trust’ for my mother.
‘Dare to explore’ for me.
‘Dare to grow’ for my daughter.
Since I couldn’t part with this very personal piece of art, I myself was the highest bidder! And so I’ve been waking up to these eyes on my wall for the last 10 years. But I noticed something interesting lately. As the years have passed, it seems the mantras are shifting generations…
I’ll be turning 50 this year, and Zilver, who is 16 now and physically pretty much all grown up, is starting to spread her wings. ‘Dare to explore’ is becoming her mantra instead of ‘Dare to grow’. Whereas I tell myself every day to let her go with implicit trust, taking over my mother’s mantra: ‘Dare to trust’.
I guess what it means to be a mother or a daughter is forever changing, but one thing stays the same: the love and the endless grattitude for being part of this miraculous cycle of life.
So here’s to strong women: may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them! Happy Mother’s Day.
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