The Greatest Gift I’ve Ever Been Given

The Greatest Gift I’ve Ever Been Given: On Being a Mother to a Son
By Sarina Freincle | A Beautiful Distraction

If there’s one title I’ve worn with the deepest honor, it’s Mother.

Becoming a mom changed everything for me. The day I gave birth to my son, the world stopped spinning the way it used to. My priorities shifted. My pace slowed. And my purpose expanded into something greater than I had ever imagined.

Suddenly, it wasn’t just about me anymore — it was about him.
My boy.
My joy.
My heartbeat outside my body.

From the moment he entered this world, I saw life differently. I felt things deeper. I became more protective, more present, more intentional with how I moved. Because raising a Black son in this world requires a level of awareness that no one can prepare you for. You feel the weight of the world and the weight of your love all at once.

And yet, in the middle of it all, there was so much joy.

He was brilliant from the start — curious, funny, full of personality and questions. I used to watch him talk and think, “God, you really gave me this boy?” There were days I couldn’t believe he was mine. That I got to raise him, teach him, and grow with him. But truthfully, he taught me more than I could ever teach him.

He taught me patience.
He taught me softness.
He taught me how to love deeper than I knew was possible.

I revolved around him.
Not in a way that erased me, but in a way that anchored me. He was the reason I kept going when life got hard. The reason I said no to things that didn’t align. The reason I showed up stronger — and softer — every single day.

And now, here we are. He’s twenty-five, soon to be twenty-six.
And I look at him — at the man he’s becoming — and my heart just swells.

He’s not just my son anymore. He’s one of my best friends.
We laugh, we debate, we argue, and sometimes we don’t see eye to eye. But the love? That love has only grown stronger with time. It’s matured. It’s rooted. And it’s real.

There’s a sacred kind of bond between a mother and her son — especially when you’ve navigated this world with both tenderness and resilience as your tools. And while I’ll always be his mama first, I cherish the friendship we now share. That’s a gift not every mother gets to experience, and I don’t take it lightly.

Being his mom has been the greatest honor of my life.
It changed who I was, saved me in ways I didn't expect, and made me a better artist, a better woman, and a better human.

So this blog — this moment — is just a love letter to him.
To the boy who made me a mother.
To the man I now call my friend.
To my biggest blessing.

I love you, Jordan.
Always and forever.

With every beat of my heart,
Sarina