* To the MOM I'd like to say Happy Mother's Day! Whether this is your second or twenty-second Mother's Day, I celebrate you. You are amazing. Truly. It takes an incredible woman to be who you are. God gave those babies to YOU sweet mama. No one else can do for them what you do. It may take all you have to get through each day but He made you the perfect match for them. To you the working mama, stay at home mama, breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, baby wearing or carrying, yoga pants or dresses mama, and every one in between, I applaud YOU!! YOU ARE A ROCKSTAR!! Take today to celebrate yourself and recognize all you do. Love your babies and enjoy this day.
* To the new mom, I want to say welcome to Motherhood! I see you with your dirty hair in a bun for the third day in a row (just like me), milk all over your shirt from yesterday, and your yoga pants you haven't taken off since when was your baby born? I know you feel rundown, but I must tell you that you are fabulous!! You are in the trenches but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Each day is a victory! Celebrate it!! Enjoy it. Soak it up. Before you know it, that new baby will be walking across your floor and you'll be wondering what happened. I know everyone says it, but it's true. I see my own babies doing the same and my heart longs for the newness again. I pray for your sweet mommy heart to feel full, not just overwhelmed, this Mother's Day.
* To the waiting Mom I say congratulations!! Whether the first trimester or the third, my heart is full of joy for you! The tiny flutters and kicks...does it get any better? Enjoy every moment. I know in the end you long to hold that baby, you are more than ready for it. But trust me, you will miss those sweet movements only you could feel. You never know when the baby in your belly is your last so enjoy every moment! If you are feeling nervous about what is to come, let me tell you this: You are not perfect. You never will be. Accept it now. We all mess up and we all do the best we can. You will always wonder if you are doing it wrong, but remember YOU are the perfect mom for your baby and you will be OK. My prayer for you is that you have peace of mind for the future and plenty of sleep.
* To the unseen, silent, and grieving Moms, my heart is with you. To you sweet mom whose babies belong to Heaven before you ever had a chance to hold them, to the mom who has earthly and heavenly children, and to you precious mom who held your baby but only for a short time...my heart truly brakes for every single one of you. I see you. I grieve with you. I cry for and with you. I cannot empathize with all of you. I have not lost a baby I was able to hold in my arms. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain. Please know though that I pray for you. I pray for your heart, your healing. To those who have babies they have not held, I know. I see the longing in your eyes for what you do not have. I see the pain, the anger, the desire. I have three heavenly babes waiting to meet me one day. My heart aches to hold them but it also soars with the tiny hands I do get to hold every day. I know the struggle to miss what you don't have and to love what you do. I pray for your heart as well! I pray for God to give you healing and peace. I pray for Him to quiet the fears you hold for future children. I also pray that you all feel so loved this Mother's Day! You are LOVED precious mama. So very very loved.
* To the longing Mom who is struggling some way with fertility, waiting for adoption, or another situation, you are not alone. I want to encourage you! Your time is coming. I don't know when and I don't know how but it's coming. To you who is struggling with fertility, the road is long and hard. The treatments, the medications, the appointments, the disappointments, and starting over again...it weighs heavy on your heart and your mind. I encourage you to reach out! You are not alone. There are more women struggling the same as you than you know. Reach out. Seek support. I pray your road is not long and I pray you find someone to walk it with. To you who is waiting for adoption, oh how I wait in anticipation for you! I have many dear friends who know the joy that comes from adoption and I pray for that same joy for you. It is an incredible journey you are choosing to take and I commend you for it. I pray your road as well is not a long one. I pray your hearts desires are fulfilled.
* To the Step Mom and the Adoptive Mom, I say thank you. Thank you for CHOOSING to love those babies who you did not birth but love like you did. You did not have to but you did and you do every day. I see the love you have for them and my heart is full of joy and happiness! It takes someone incredible, YOU, and oh how wonderful you are. To the step-mom who also works with the mom to co-parent your children and to the step-mom who is the only mom present, I pray your children know the true love you have for them. I pray they and you continue to grow a beautiful relationship. To the adoptive mommas, I pray your babes also know how much love you have for them. I pray they know they were wanted, desired, and loved even before you met them.
* To the Birth Moms who have chosen to give up their babies, I want you to know how incredible you are. You are someone special to give your child to another woman to love and raise for the rest of their lives. I cannot imagine the feelings you have in your heart. You may not realize or feel it, but your selfless act has given another mom the opportunity to have something she may not have ever had without you. As a woman with friends who have adopted, you may never know the joy you have brought them, but I pray your heart will one day feel it. I pray for healing for you. And I pray that one day, if God wills, that you are able to feel the love of a child in your life.
* To the Grand"Mother" or Great Grandmother, I say well done. You have earned the title of more than just Mom and moved into the ranks of Grandma or Nana, MeeMaw, Mammaw, GiGi, Gran, and more. You have taught your children to raise children of their own and now you can sit back and enjoy the spoiling and sending home life. You may fill their tiny bellies with ice cream and chocolate but you also fill their minds with knowledge, their hands with treasures, and their hearts with love. You can teach them things no one else can. You are a grand-Mother and a wonderful one at that.
To all Moms of every kind, I say Happy Mother's Day!! I pray your day is full of love and joy!
