For All That You Are & For All That You Do
Happy Mother's Day, tired moms! Did the family let you sleep in? Maybe they said they would, but their "whispers" and "quiet playtime" weren't as quiet as you would have hoped. Maybe your family surprised you with breakfast in bed. You know your kitchen will be a hot mess and slightly rearranged but you smile in appreciation and take a bite out of your breakfast which consists of an egg on top of a bed of Captain Crunch cereal with a dousing of chocolate syrup, because the little one made it "just for you." Delicious?! Maybe there are gifts, homemade with lots of fingerprints, glitter, and brushstrokes, or something sparkly and store bought. Maybe your little one has been bugging you to open your surprise gift since they brought it home from school on Friday. Maybe you already know what it is because they are not very good at keeping secrets, but you act surprised anyway because you know it means so much to them.
Moms, you have nurtured their every moment. You have seen them through so many milestones...talking, crawling, potty training, nursery school, high school, drivers ed, prom...They annoy and challenge you like the dickens but they are your heart and soul on feet and you couldn't imagine life without them. You have grown up right along with them. Through them you have learned about patience; how much you have, and when you know you're just one step away from losing it. You learned that "new" math in an effort to help them with their homework. You learned that you're just as proficient as an Indy race car driver as you made an art supply run at 8pm for that social studies diorama that's due tomorrow. You don't really remember what it was like to have a full night's rest or to not have to rush somewhere --- the pediatrician's office, the school play, the lacrosse practice, the dance recital. Romantic meals with your partner, even when the kids are older, still involve discussions about them.
This Mother's Day, I salute you moms for all that you do to keep your families healthy and happy. I acknowledge your hard work, that which your family sees and for all the behind the scenes things you do like searching through their black hole of a backpack to find that class trip permission slip that's due in 15 minutes, or cutting the crusts off of their sandwich because you know they won't eat it otherwise, or waking up in the middle of the night to give them their medication when they caught that bug that they just couldn't shake. I applaud you for every time you gave them one more kiss goodnight, or read an extra chapter in their bedtime story even though all you wanted to do was to look at the back of your own eyelids. You are their nurse, the chef, the housekeeper, the secretary, the referee, the exterminator of scary monsters under the bed,...I could go on.
You do it all, day in and day out always questioning whether you're doing it right, whether you're doing enough, whether you could do more. A wise friend once told me that the universe gave you your children with all of their quirks and blessings for a reason. You are the PERFECT mom for them. You are the rainbow in their storm. You are their cheerleader. You are their hero. You are the hero of all of the other mothers out there that do what you do and know how you feel. We understand how hard and how thankless this job of mothering is but we do it because when we look at our children, with their chocolate smeared mouths or unwashed hair, we still see perfection and know we did something right. This mother's day I want you to look in the mirror and look past the stretch marks and cellulite. I want you to look past all of your doubts and fears. I want you to see what I see. I want you to see a strong, beautiful woman who deserves to be celebrated for all that you are and for all that you do.
Happy Mother's Day! ~HZM
