We have a favorite secret spot in Oaxaca, two miles down a dirt road. There’s hardly ever anyone on the beach there, and for our family, it’s our happy place.
Last month, we got to steal away.
We live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, so getting to our magical little beach requires two full days of travel. But this year, something shifted: the trip suddenly felt… easier.
Our youngest, IlaRose, turns five in August. Sammy is about to turn eight. And Maezy — suddenly almost sixteen, permit in hand — has transformed into this magnificent young woman who is going places in every sense of the phrase.
Sam and Ila disappear into imagination land together for hours. (And thankfully, Mexicans really understand the profound importance of airport playgrounds.) Maezy is thoughtful and attentive, and “the littles” absolutely adore her. They just want to be wherever she is.
This trip brought into focus everything I care about most in life: my extraordinary husband, these beautiful children, and the magic we get to experience together as a family.
I became a mother later in life, at 41, and I don’t take a second of it for granted.
Even with me traveling far too much as a CEO, and my husband running our ranch, we fiercely protect time together. Because at the end of the day, these are the moments that matter most.
This Mother’s Day, I’m feeling profoundly grateful.
Grateful for my own mother, Lisa, who understands grit and sacrifice better than almost anyone I know, and who taught me to face life head-on, fearlessly.
Grateful for my husband, who gives me endless grace and support.
Grateful for each one of my three extraordinary children.
Grateful for my mother-in-law, Pati, who quietly and consistently shows up in both big and small ways.
And honestly? Grateful for the hermit crabs, too — who patiently allowed us to draw circles in the sand and host hermit crab races on the beach last month.
Those are the moments I know I’ll remember someday from my front porch as a wrinkly old lady.
Those tiny, ordinary, magical moments are the ones that become our lives.
Whether you are a dog mom, a human mom, a bonus mom, an Auntie, a community mama — or all of the above — I see you.
Happy Mother’s Day.
Bree
