Are We Mothers and Daughters in Another Lifetime?

A life without you is a life I can't live in, a life I don't want to dwell in. So, often, I ask  -  are we mothers and daughters in another lifetime?

I hope we are, and I am the mother.

Being your daughter in this lifetime is the greatest gift I have ever received. It's your first time, too, living and being a mom. Yet, you do it with a grace I can't comprehend. How is it that you, so new to this role, profoundly grasp what it means to be a mother? How do you find the strength and warmth to cradle my dreams while carrying your own? How do you engulf me with so much love and beautiful words when they were not given to you? You leave me in awe.

You told me stories that wrapped around me like a cozy blanket. Your hands worked hard to care for us; your love filled our home with light. You showed me the essence of love and motherhood. However, I see it too  -  the tiredness in your eyes, the burdens resting on your shoulders, the weights holding you back, and the selfless sacrifices you had to make. You have carried so much, even before  -  working tirelessly, the eldest daughter of your family, always the one expected to shoulder more than your share.

I wish I could switch places with you.

I hope to give you the care and warmth you wrap me in. I long to be the one who tells you all the beautiful and warm words you feed my soul. I yearn that in another life, I am the one who reminds you that it's okay to rest and assures you that you're doing enough. I want to caress you with the love you always give me. I wish I could give you the freedom to indulge in your dreams and pursue the passions that life's demands have often pushed aside. Leisure, I know, is something you have long forsaken, but I long for you to breathe deeply without the weight of worry hanging heavy in the air. I hope I can be the strong one so you can let your guard down, be weak, be vulnerable, and just be.

In another lifetime, perhaps I was the mother, and you, my cherished daughter. Probably in that life, you would close your eyes and feel the warmth of the love you so generously gave, a love that now shapes me.