We come from many places.
Some are streets and cities.
Others are names and memories.
But one of my homes will always be the woman who became my mother.

Before I had a name, she gave me her heartbeat.
Before I opened my eyes, she opened her arms.
Before I could ask for anything, she already knew what I needed.

A mother is not just the beginning. She is the middle and the quiet in between.
She is the blanket on cold nights, the whisper behind your courage,
the warm meal that waits no matter how late you come back.

She was there when I took my first step—and every step since,
even if I didn’t always see her.
Even if I didn’t always understand how much she gave up
so I could grow up.

She carried me before I knew the weight of anything.
And even now, when the world feels heavy,
just hearing her voice makes everything lighter.

She is one of my homes.
The kind that doesn’t show up on a map,
but lives in my skin, my choices, my love.

If you still have your mother near—hold her tighter today.
And if you carry her only in your heart,
know that she still lives in everything you are. 

GK

Unknown's avatar

Published by georgi.kisyov

29 thoughts on “She is one of my homes”

    1. Thank you so much, my friend. And of course — sending prayers, healing thoughts, and so much warmth to both you and your mom.
      Ninety-two years is such a beautiful life journey, and I’m sure receiving your card and feeling your love means more to her than words can express. Sometimes those small gestures carry the deepest comfort.
      Wishing her peace, strength, and gentle days ahead. And wishing you strength too during this difficult time.
      GK

      Like

      Reply

  2. My own mother passed away over five years ago, and yet there are still moments almost every day where I instinctively think, “I should call Mom,” or wish I could hear her voice one more time. Grief is strange that way. Time moves forward, but love does not loosen its grip. I think one of the hardest parts is realizing how much of who I am was quietly shaped by her in ways I did not fully notice while she was alive. Certain meals, phrases, habits, comforts, even the way I care for others… pieces of her continues to live through me. Like you said, she’s part of my skin, my choices, my love. This was beautifully written. Tender, honest, and full of the kind of truth that should make everyone stop for a moment and hold their memories a little closer.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. This is one of the most beautiful and heartfelt comments I’ve ever read. Thank you for sharing something so deeply personal.
      What you wrote about instinctively wanting to call your mom even after all these years… I think so many people quietly carry that feeling inside them. Love creates habits in our hearts that time cannot erase.
      And your words about realizing how much of yourself was shaped by her touched me deeply. I truly believe our mothers continue living through us — in our gestures, our comforts, our kindness, the way we care for people, even in the smallest everyday moments we barely notice.
      GK

      Thank you again for this tender and honest reflection. Your comment carries its own kind of beauty and truth

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you so much, my friend ❤️ That truly means a lot to me.
      I think the most powerful words are the ones that come from real love and gratitude. Knowing it moved you so deeply is the greatest gift a writer can receive.
      Sending you warmth and a big hug today.
      GK

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Your words truly touched my heart. Thank you so much for such kindness.
      If my mother is proud of me, then a big part of that is because of everything she gave me — her love, her care, her strength, and the example she set through her life. So much of who we become begins quietly with our mothers.
      Thank you again for this beautiful comment, my friend.
      GK

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. Beautiful! I think this is my favorite line “And if you carry her only in your heart,
    know that she still lives in everything you are.” And this is my next favorite “Even if I didn’t always understand how much she gave up so I could grow up”
    ~ Rosie

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Rosie, thank you so much. ❤️ That means a lot coming from you.
      Those two lines were probably the most emotional ones for me to write because they carry such deep realizations that many of us only fully understand with time. We grow up surrounded by a love and sacrifice that often feels invisible until one day we suddenly see it clearly.
      And your first favorite line came from the feeling that love never truly disappears. The people we carry in our hearts continue living through the way we love, care, and move through life.
      Thank you again for reading so deeply and always leaving such thoughtful reflections.
      GK

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I sometimes have to wait to read or comment because I know I am going to feel something I need to process or want to let it sit. And then sometimes I just put it out there cause I know it will be awhile before I make it back and I don’t want to process, just say what immediately comes to mind. Guess it’s how we write!
        ~ Rosie

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Georgi. This is really something.

    …she still lives in everything you are…

    Woven into my very DNA.

    Transcendent when I reflect on your words. So utterly, utterly beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Your words touched me deeply.
      “Woven into my very DNA” is such a powerful and beautiful way to express it.
      I think that is exactly what love like this becomes over time — something no longer outside of us, but part of who we are in the deepest possible way. Thank you for feeling the piece so fully and for leaving such a transcendent reflection, my friend.
      GK

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. I love this. No matter how you felt towards the mother that raised you, she was part of the Great Mother that birthed and sustained us all. I can imagine my mother saying, “if only I could have, I would have loved you simply for being you .” After all these years, I know she did love me as best she could and given who she was and her circumstances, she did the best she could.

    The origins of Mother’s Day in America was Mothers’ Day. It came from civil war mothers bereft of sons and husbands being honored to promote peace.

    May we celebrate that with all our hearts as well as candy, flowers, and special love tokens for those who mothered us even if they weren’t our biological mothers.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. This is such a wise and deeply compassionate reflection. What you wrote about understanding your mother more fully with time — and recognizing that she loved you as best she could within her own circumstances — carries so much grace and humanity.
      I also truly appreciate you sharing the origins of Mothers’ Day. There is something profoundly meaningful in remembering that its roots were connected not only to love, but also to grief, healing, and peace.
      And yes… motherhood reaches far beyond biology. So many people become nurturing lights in our lives in quiet and beautiful ways. Thank you for this thoughtful contribution, my friend.
      GK

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words. I truly believe some truths are felt more deeply through the heart than explained through logic, and a mother’s love is one of them.
      I’m grateful this reflection.
      Georgi

      Like

      Reply

  12. When I had my son I realised that all the ways in which my mum had cherished me were rooted in my subconscious because I used them with my son. Not consciously, they were like a whisper of a memory I couldn’t quite grasp but knew was there. It was amazing. These are beautiful words and, as a mother, I am so grateful for them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. This is incredibly beautiful and deeply moving. I think one of the most powerful realizations in life is discovering how love given to us quietly lives inside us and continues through the way we love our own children.

      That “whisper of a memory” you described is such a perfect way to express it. Your mother’s love became part of you so deeply that it naturally flowed forward into your son. Thank you for sharing something so meaningful.
      GK

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment