Day 269 - What Could Be Better?

Today is Mother's Day. I am a mother and I have a mother (plus another dear friend that is like an extra Mom), so I know I am very blessed. Holidays call for celebration and we had our plans in place, but for a number of reasons things did not happen the way we had planned. Oh, well. The day was quiet and worked out just fine. Here I am at the end of the day, thinking about all the ways being a mother brings me joy. I loved raising my kids and I never imagined that as they grew older how much my joy would multiply. But here I am loving my girls with all my heart and realizing how much they have helped me to grow and learn about myself and life through them.

 

I like that Mother's Day is in the spring because spring represents new beginnings and there are few beginnings that are as momentous as becoming a mom. Regardless of the road that gets us there, once we hold a child in our heart we are never the same again. Our needs become a little less important when we consider the needs of our children, the world looks a little more dangerous because we want to protect our children from anything that could hurt them. Time seems to move more quickly and it is difficult to keep our children from growing up too fast and right before our eyes. Becoming a mother means our hearts expand and hold more love than we knew could exist between souls. Motherhood makes us stronger, more determined, more conscious and more contentiousness. We have little ones to protect and we are up to the challenge. As moms we want to be our best and do our best for the soul entrusted in our care.

 

As our kids grow they need us in different ways and we are called to grow and develop in new ways as well.  As mothers we experience struggles and sometimes are unsure of our path and our decisions but we offer the best we have to the raising of our precious children. As much as we are loved by our children, we are also sometimes the recipients of anger, frustrations and annoyance as our kids push back against us in their urge to be all grown up and independent. We develop a tough skin, but never a hard heart. We watch our kids in awe as they grow into their best selves. We celebrate with them when the best that they could hope for happens, and cry with them when their hearts are broken and their dreams dashed. There comes a time when we let go, knowing we have done our best and loved them beyond measure, And when they are grown, we stand by waiting, ready to help if they need us, but knowing that it is their turn to open their hearts and live the wonderful life of being a mom.