Thirty years ago today, just around the time that I took this photo of the sun rising, I became a mother for the first time. It was a long, long night and a challenging birth. It was a birthing process that taught me everything I needed to know to have the next two births be entirely satisfying. Tonight, as I get ready to sleep after a non-stop day, I'm full of gratitude for the blessings of my son and his presence in my life and all the gifts of growth and love I have received with him and from him. I'm so blessed to be a mother of a fine man whose heart is always in the right place.