Mother’s Love is Like Flowers. Patient and ever growing.
A mother is like a flower. Each one is beautiful and unique.
Mother’s Day is bittersweet for some of us.
Today, I find myself holding two emotions at once: deep gratitude… and deep grief.
I think about my mother even more today. She was resilient, beautiful, strong, kind, loving, and deeply inspirational to me and so many others she met. I only wish life had treated her more gently at the end of her prematurely shortened life.
There are some losses that never fully leave us. We simply learn how to carry them. And continue. And yet, alongside that grief is something equally powerful: gratitude.
Because I was blessed to be her daughter… I was also blessed to become a mother myself.
Today, as I was reflecting on how fortunate I am to be the mother of my wonderful sons — kind, thoughtful, hardworking, intelligent young men — I opened the front door to find the sweetest surprise waiting for me: beautiful flowers and a box of delicious chocolates … and so much more ….
A simple gesture. Yet so meaningful.
Even when children grow up and live farther away, love still finds its way home.
Close in heart. Close in thought. And close in spirit.
And again and again it is a great reminder that perhaps the greatest gift we can give the world is raising healthy, caring, capable human beings.
Children do not come with an owner’s manual. Parenting is imperfect. We make mistakes.
We worry. We try again. We hope we are giving enough love, guidance, wisdom, protection, and strength.
And somehow, over years of ordinary moments, sacrifices, conversations, car rides, laughter, disappointments, encouragement, and unconditional love… human beings are formed.
Not perfect human beings. But hopefully compassionate ones. Resilient ones. Thoughtful ones.
Capable ones.
Parenting may be one of the most difficult jobs in the world. But, it is also one of the most rewarding.
Today reminded me that love continues across generations. From my mother… to me… to my children.
And perhaps that is one of the most beautiful things about motherhood: even after loss,
love still multiplies.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers, grandmothers, daughters, caregivers, and women carrying both love and grief today.
And especially to my mother. Thank you for everything.
Dr. Jasminka Vukanovic-Criley MD, FACP, FHM is a multiple award-winning physician, hospitalist, healthcare & education innovator & Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA. She is a career mentor & advisor to undergraduate, graduate & postgraduate students & faculty across medicine, science & education. As Founder & CEO of Indelible Learning, Dr. Criley leads a systems-based approach to learning grounded in the belief that we grow geniuses by making complex systems visible, before real-world decisions carry irreversible consequences. Her research focuses on designing evidence-driven digital games & simulations that help people see, question, & improve systems across health, civics, science & human behavior. Dr Criley is a sought-after speaker, a founding Board member of Physician’s Weekly & an advocate for learning experiences that build judgment, agency & healthier institutions. She can be reached on X at @criley_md and at www.linkedin.com/in/jasminka-criley-md