My 18-month-old son interrupted the writing of this letter approximately 347 times before we closed the issue.
There were times he'd want a snack or something to drink. To play ball or blow bubbles. To sleepily watch an episode of "Blue's Clues" before bed while using my lap as a pillow.
Other times he just wanted a hug, or for me to sit with him in his Radio Flyer wagon he uses as a makeshift couch.
I obliged every time, as I often do when work extends beyond the standard 9-to-5. And I probably don't have to tell you that I hope that never changes on my part. Not at 18 months. Not at 18 years.
It sometimes means I have to set a 3 a.m. alarm to make up the time or catch up on house-cleaning after he falls asleep. It sometimes means dinner is a box of macaroni and cheese and a bag of frozen vegetables. It means the laundry gets backed up. The mirrors aren't always spotless.
But I'm there. I'm present. I'm doing what I can to show him while I can't always be Supermom, I can still try to be a super mom. It's not always the perfect work-life balance. That's OK. Our home isn't always as clean and organized as the gorgeous spaces we often feature in the pages of this magazine. That's also OK.
The concepts of home and family are universal, yet ultimately different things to different people. That helped us shape this month's collection of stories into a colorful snapshot of what these things mean in a city with so many people and so many communities, big and small.
Naturally, one of my favorite parts of the issue is a beautiful Mother's Day tribute in the words of some of Birmingham's better-known sons and daughters. These moms undoubtedly had their fair share of messy, manic, can't-do-it-all days over the years. But that's not what their children remember most, which gives me hope the chaotic parts of my first steps of motherhood won't define the memories I keep from these painfully short years.
In the end, I'll look back on these precious days not only for what they were, but what they ultimately yielded: a happy home filled with love.
I wish the same for all of you.