Cord Byrd: “Washington, like most of the Nation, is awash in green. Lawns are lush and verdant. The new leaves on the trees are…”

“Washington, like most of the Nation, is awash in green. Lawns are lush and verdant. The new leaves on the trees are bright green, soft, and whole--not yet the tough, sun- and insect- scarred veterans of late summer, but as delicate as a baby's skin. The dogwoods and lilacs are blooming, and the azaleas are putting on their magnificent show. In a few days, it will be May. May is a beautiful month in the Nation's capital, just as it is in the hills of West Virginia. It is, perhaps, the most beautiful month. It is a gentle, nurturing month, full of tenderness and promise. It is fitting that such a month be graced with a day to honor mothers. Sunday, May 8th, is Mother's Day. On this day, tender thoughts of affection and gentle acts of kindness and appreciation are showered upon our mothers, who have sustained us all with their gentle hands, warm hearts, and forgiving natures. To be sure, women have as many facets as a brilliantly cut diamond. They can be tough and demanding professionals, fierce competitors in any field of endeavor, stoic and enduring in the face of great hardship, and outstanding performers in the arts, medicine and science. The news as well as history is full of stories of the accomplishments of women. But on this one day, we celebrate the side of women that is most like this lovely month of May--the mothering side. It is the side that kissed our baby feet, that saved locks of hair from our first haircuts and our first baby teeth.…”