Two common themes reign when writing about Mother’s Day – appreciating motherhood, and what to give your mother for Mother’s Day.
We all have or had a mom, and they deserve their special day to be celebrated for their selflessness, and the sacrifices they make by putting us first. They will all tell you it’s worth it, and that no matter the struggle to become a mother and any challenge thereafter, the benefits and joys are many. Even with the more recent real talk about motherhood, and the hardships and surprises, those stories end with supportive comments and an overall feeling of community and sisterhood among mothers.
What do you think of when you hear the word mom, or mother? Maybe you think of women, and womanhood, of a caretaker, or a leader, of the pinnacle of something, for example, “The mother of all…(fill in the blank).” Many words, feelings, and images, come to mind. It breaks my heart, but it never surprises me to read another story from a beautiful, and smart woman, writing about her experience with infertility, and either feeling like her body failed her, or like she’s incomplete. Others talk or write about the trials of adoption, and the policies and processes surrounding it. I sympathize deeply, and then almost simultaneously ask, but what else is there? What do you have? The answer, more often than not, is so much more than what you don’t have. Someone out there, child, or adult, blood related or not, loves you, looks up to you, and needs you. There are people and animals out there in need of your hand, your smile, any support you can offer. As long as you can open your mouth to offer a compliment, or words of advice, as long as you have eyes and ears to listen with, you have something to offer, and you matter. The biggest lesson we can take away from motherhood in its conventional meaning is that you can’t wallow, you have to get up, you have more strength inside of you than you realize.
To all the moms out there, thank you. Thank you for teaching us how to be resilient, how to love unconditionally, and the importance of taking care of yourself so that you can lead and care for others. To all of those who haven’t brought children into the world by choice or not, let’s celebrate you too, because you may be a mom to someone, you just may not know it. Motherhood is in the heart.