Best Self Magazine

Reopening My Mother Heart: A Journey From Tragic Heartbreak to Hope

Reopening My Mother Heart: A Journey From Tragic Heartbreak to Hope by Mirabair Starr. Photograph of a parent holding daughter by Arleen Weise
Photograph by Arleen Weise

After experiencing tragedy and shutting down, a mother finds her way back to reclaiming the bond with a daughter she always yearned for

Given that being a parent can be such a challenging and unglamorous enterprise, why do people bother to begin with? Because sentient beings are made to. Most of us are, anyway. We’re biologically and socially programmed to connect with one another and create new humans. And we are perfectly designed to care for them. 

The mistakes we make are part of the package. Our fears for their wellbeing are impossible to circumvent.

We are bound to stumble through the experience

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