A Mother's Song
‘Tis the season to gather with family.
The notion of family is a complicated one. We are born into families, but we also make them and choose them. We join new families through our life partners. And families can grow, with new births, and as siblings, children, and other relatives bring in their own partners and have their own children. Families also shrink and fracture, with death and through trauma and miscommunication.
But at the most elemental level, family is often created and centered around one of the strongest bonds of nature, that between mother and child.
Recently we shared a short film with our paid Steady subscribers about this relationship in a moment of tragedy, the death of a child. For this Smile for A Saturday, however, we are celebrating birth and life.
Motherhood, and parenthood more generally, is not an uncomplicated experience. And the very definition of what constitutes a family is changing. In this video, the genre-spanning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile shares her story of becoming a mother and creating a family. It starts with spoken words and shifts into song. And it was recorded as part of a personal favorite institution, Austin City Limits.
This charming and thought-provoking experience made us smile, and we hope it does the same for you.
"Welcome to the end of being alone inside your mind
Tethered to another and you’re worried all the time
You always knew the melody but you never heard it rhyme." Perfectly sums up motherhood.
What a lovely way to start Saturday morning, thank you. Brandi has been a long time favorite and still is so. Although I was not fortunate enough to be blessed with children, I do have a mother. She died five years ago, two days before Thanksgiving. I miss her every day, and it seems even more so during Thanksgiving. Brandi’s song reminded me of both the love and irreverent joy my mother brought to motherhood. Again, thank you, as usual, your timing is excellent! Have a wonderful weekend and holiday season!