Japanese children greet their mothers with Haha-no-hi and give them red and pink carnations, seen as a symbol of gentle strength and sweetness. The French call it Fête de mères. It’s “Mothering Day” for the English on the third Sunday of lent that usually falls in March.
In my native Panama if a mother or grandmother is especially lucky she will hear the traditional song “Las Mañanitas” sung at her window. El Día de la Madre in Panama falls on December 8 during the feast of the immaculate conception. Often a small statue of the Virgin Mary is set on a balcony surrounded by flowers.
Here in the US Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, which falls this year on May 9—very soon. Families will meet—if at all possible during this Covid year. We will share a meal outdoors, make mom something handmade, give her flowers and small gifts.
Say Happy Mother’s Day to mothers, aunts, sisters and all those who mother lovingly with a copy of At the Narrow Waist of the World..
“Reminiscent of Sandra Cisnero’s The House on Mango Street with its lyrical voice and tender narrator, At the Narrow Waist of the World is a gorgeously vivid memoir that blends the Spanish of the author’s native home and the English of her adopted country to describe the weight of events and a larger-than-life mother. The book pulses like a constellation in the night sky.” –Jimin Han, author of A Small Revolution
I’ve had the sweetest life. I had a good and decent mother in spite of the fact that she suffered terrible anxieties. I was also lucky to be surrounded by loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and a grandmother who filled in when our mami couldn’t. They provided the bedrock of love that every child needs.
Until I wrote At the Narrow Waist of the World I did not understand the still-raw wound that I carried. I began the book by serendipity, with a scene I’d held in my memory full of texture and detail. I saw myself at the age of 5 or 6 carrying a white tray with hinged sides, hot milk in a Noritake cup, taking dinner to Mami who was very troubled at the time and was in bed. The scene led me to a reckoning. Stories of childhood and longing. There was an unfinished story—who Mami was and who I was—that I needed to unearth.
The child mother bond is the first love affair. Happy Mother’s Day mami! I needed to conjure you up…and see you…and make peace.
Read an interview with Deborah Kalb about the basics of At the Narrow Waist of the World.
Listen to “Patricia” a short excerpt from the book.
This Mother’s Day share the love, and gift At the Narrow Waist of the World to the mother in your life. Or recommend the book to the mothers, daughters, and sisters you know. You can purchase the book online or at your local bookstore.