For the moms who may have lost children, I know your hearts ache a little more today, for what was lost, for the futures your children never got to enjoy; know that I'm thinking of you today.

For those who whose desire to have children has been a struggle and not been fulfilled, there's something about the wanting to have kids that starts to transform you into a mother, so I know there is an ache inside you today that is a little deeper.  Know that I hope your dreams of motherhood come true.

This is one of those days when I feel so blessed: happy healthy kids, and a happy and relatively healthy mother of my own; I know it won't always be this way, so I cherish not just the official celebration, but every day we have together - once those days are gone, we can't get them back.

The other kid back in college since last Mother's Day and, yay!, on Dean's List again -- after years before of struggling through school with her disabilities . . . so now she is back in school to be a teacher, the sort of good teacher she had sometimes (and not the other sort, from whom she also learned, sadly, how not to be).

One of the stepkids just married at 45, for the first time, and also is so happy at last -- deservedly so, as one of the alltime nice guys who finished last in love for so long but now is getting his rewards for staying nice all these years until a wise woman noticed.

The other stepkid still looking for work, too, but also in a committed relationship that brings him joy -- as do the latest marvels of medical technology that are helping him hear for the first time in years.

Yes, most still are unemployed or underemployed, and they will struggle for years to overcome the setbacks of this year's economy -- and they won't be lawyers or in other more promising careers than teaching with all of the layoffs now or construction with the downturn now, etc.  And all of this has cost us a fortune in travel and immigration fees and tuition and housing and feeding and hearing aids and more. . . .

But this is when we know that it really is just money, and that money can't buy us or them love -- but it can help them and us to find love and happiness in the darndest places and pursuits that bring us happiness in seeing them grow into fine people who bring us friendship on an adult level, offering intellectual challenges with new ideas and more, as well as love always.

What a year!  I know your coming year ahead of discovery of so much about your child's mind also will be as interesting and rewarding, Jeralyn.  Beyond that, who knows?  Parenting is one of those gifts that keeps on giving, but it's also like one of those mystery gift packages full of surprises.  

When it DOES fall on the same weekend...oh watch out...unless Mom is a fisher-person too.

I find this conflict/dilemma funny, interesting and a culturally screwy part of life around here.  

REPORTER: You didn't include Obama in your list of liar presidents. I'm wondering if you would include him also?

HERSH: To use a basketball or a football analogy, American football, fourth quarter - he may have a game plan. At this point he's in real trouble. Because the military are dominating him on the important issues of the world: Iraq, Iran, Afghan and Pakistan. And he's following the policies of Bush and Cheney almost to a fare-thee-well. He talks differently. And he's much brighter, he's much more of the world. So one only hopes he has a game plan that will include doing something, but he's in real trouble, in terms of - he's in real trouble.....