Selfless

Selfless –

Lacking a self,

Without a self –

Is that truly what it means?
Perhaps not exactly,

For when you acted selflessly,

To be one on whom another leans,

That act defined the self you’ve come to be.

 

I thought this one might work well for Mother's Day. It began just by thinking about the word "selfless". If you compare with other words with a similar structure - say, "clueless" or "lifeless" - you might think it means something like "without a self" or "not having a self". But actually, I think it's more about recognizing, valuing, and loving the other "selves" in the world around you - and that becomes a defining feature of who you are. Of course, many parents do this all the time.