The ultimate gift for your mother

It started with an email. The sender, Tamara Gijrath, had me at the sentence if I wanted to do something with my mother and that we would be photographed by Yvette Kulkens after being made up by Elles Nijkamp. That is the Champions League of hers, makeup and photography. I don't believe I know anyone who can take better portraits. But aside from the beautiful picture that would undoubtedly follow (my mother can still be silent about how beautifully she was photographed, something she never thought possible), it was mainly about the content, the document. Pleun (my mother) and I would be portrayed alongside 58 other women in a book about mothers and daughters.

Tamara came up with the idea after her own mother passed away from cancer three years ago and became more aware of the bond between mother and daughter. A bond that of course transcends death. I also thought about what characterizes that love. I think it comes down to a mother loving her child more than herself. That's how I've always felt about my mother. The best bite was always for me, she tested whether the ice was strong enough to stand on, after showering in the bathroom next to her bedroom I could always come to her warm bed for a moment and she waved me off until I was just a dot.

Now that I am getting older, I see the pattern repeating itself. Enjoying piles of neatly folded laundry (we are the kind that also irons underwear and socks), no pans on the table but not necessarily the biggest princesses in the kitchen, folding yourself to the rest of the family without losing yourself. Whether I have my mother's strength, I don't know. Giving birth twice while your husband is abroad, fighting breast cancer and having a tumor removed from your head after a seven-hour operation. And complaining? Never, never, never.

In Tamara's book, you see the beautiful and powerful women talking about life. That which brought shine and that which made it dull. It is honest and real. Just like Tamara because guys, I have come to really like this woman.

In her book ‘If I'm being completely honest’ you read the stories of Monique des Bouvrie and her mother, Debby Petter (Youp's wife) and her mother, Quinty Trustfull and her daughter Moïse, Hendrikje Crebolder, Edsilia Rombley and it just goes on. I read a story every day and rarely keep it dry. So if you're looking for a really nice gift for your mother: you have found it now. And Tamara also donates a portion of the proceeds to Pink Ribbon.

Hats off. Love.

Image: by Yvette Kulkens Photography