For all the Moms...

Motherhood is a blessing. It is a miracle. It is a privilege but it is not a right. Every year on Mother's Day, I am reminded of all those Mother's Days before I became a mom...the tears, the heartache, the "maybe next year". Most ordinary days, when I catch a glimpse of my daughter, there is a moment that I am reminded of what a precious gift she is...and in those moments, I whisper a thank you to God. When Mother's Day rolls around, I am especially thankful to celebrate this day.

It truly is impossible to comprehend, the love a mother feels for her child until you become a mother yourself. I carried around this little being in my body for 9 months. We were united, just the two of us. The moment she was born, my heart began beating outside of my body. Having your heart beat outside of your body is a nerve-wracking experience but we wouldn't have it any other way.

For my daughter who is the reason I celebrate this day: I love you so much. It blows my mind that a person can have the capacity to love another person as much as I love you. You make me laugh, smile, and cry. Sometimes, they are happy tears, and sometimes they are not. You occasionally make me want to rip my hair out (it happens a little more the older you get), test my patience, and drive me to the very brink of sanity...but there isn't a single moment that I don't love being your mom. You are my magnum opus and I love you to the moon and back again, plus all the stars in the sky.

For my mom: Thank you for all the moments, you laid awake at night wondering if you were doing everything right. Thank you for cleaning up puke, paying for braces, waiting up until we were home safe, and hand-sewing all those beads on my wedding veil (which explains why you have carpel tunnel syndrome). For all those times I forgot to say it...thank you. I know it's not enough, but when you're a mom...it's enough. I love you.

For my mother-in-law: Thank you for all the endless time you invested in raising the little boy, who grew into the man, I am blessed to call my husband. Thank you for welcoming me into the family with open arms are treating me as though I was your own. I know that when it comes to mother-in-laws, I hit the jackpot. I love you.

For my grandma: You are the living, breathing example of love. Thank you for all the days leading up to Christmas spent in your kitchen, teaching me to make your peanut butter fudge. Thank you for all those days you spent in chaos with 5 lively grand daughters shrieking through your house. Thank you for teaching us how to pray (even if it was to Ernest)and thank you for being the grandma other kids wished for.

Last but not least, to my "Mommy Friends" (my sister and cousins included): Thank you for being there to laugh at my stories, to share in the madness of motherhood, and to remind me not to "feed the monster". We are surviving the hazards of Google, the questions that come from inquisitive minds, and the knowledge that we are all in this together. It is good to know that I am not the only "dream crusher" among us and that we can probably get a group discount on therapy our children may or may not require in the future. Regardless if we are working moms (aren't we all) or stay at home moms (umm...y'all are never home), whether we have one child or multiple, boys or girls, or some of each, THANK YOU for reminding me we are all in this together.


To all the moms reading this...being a mom is the hardest gig there is...but the most rewarding. Some would say that it's a thankless job but it really isn't. Our thanks may never come by way of mansions on Malibu, trips to Hawaii or a life time supply of chocolate. One day, all those sleepless nights, moments spent cleaning up bodily fluid, last minute trips to the store because they forgot about the project that was due tomorrow, shopping for the perfect outfit, wishing they would use better judgment, biting our tongue, all the "but Moms", that's not fair, eye rolling, stomping feet, slamming doors, and every moment in between...it will be worth it. Our thanks comes in the form of the character our children develop. When they do what's right, even when nobody is watching. Being a mother requires complete selflessness, but when we see the fruits of our labor come to fruition, well...you can't put a price on that. Happy Mother's Day.