Mothering

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. I hope your day was as lovely as mine-- breakfast in bed, a nice slow morning walk, a waterfront picnic with family and friends in the afternoon. I have so much to be thankful for, truly. And it was all a welcome respite from the last week, which has been, truth be told, a bit intense.

There are sometimes stretches of days, weeks, even months, when I feel like I can kick up my heels and enjoy the beauty of motherhood. I am surrounded by two lovely little souls whose curiosity and mischief are the spice of my days. I have a supportive and sweet husband who does everything in his power to keep my relaxed and comfortable.

But, life is life, and sometimes things have a way of getting a big crazy. Two sick children. A set of one-year molars that have been brutal. Some work on our house which I am so thankful for, but has left us a bit displaced in our own home. So the last week has been the intense part of motherhood. And yesterday, with all of its sweet gestures, was no exception. We had a baby who was only content when held, two runny noses, a mercilessly interrupted night of sleep to recover from.

Vicki over at Birds and Seashells has asked us to spend this month thinking about motherhood (please click on the beautiful button to the right to see more insights)-- what it means to us, what our experience of being a mother is, where our inspiration comes from. And yesterday, our fussy little sickies reminded me that motherhood is something that remains steady when life goes a bit crazy.

Two little girls look to me for their encouragement, their affirmation, their support. Especially when things are crazy. They come to me looking for an affirmation that they are okay, that they are beloved by me, and ultimately, that they are beloved by God. Many voices in the world can give them this affirmation, but I firmly believe with all of my being that a mother does it best. That is why I am doing this-- spending my day tending to their seemingly trivial needs, wiping noses, taking walks and playing games. Because I believe there's more to all of this day-do-day minutia than what first meets the eye. I have the sacred duty of reminding these little creatures that they are God's beloved, that they are beautiful, wonderful, and have a very special role on this earth. And I can do that in a way that no other person in the world can do, because I alone am their mother.

I am so lucky to be surrounded by mothers who model this beautiful principle, who encourage me when I am discouraged, who give such tender love to their children that it humbles me to my own shortcomings. Biological mothers, adoptive mothers, surrogate mothers, godmothers, grandmothers. Women whose steadfast love is a daily reminder of what this is all about. Thank you for belonging to that community of women, and may we never lose sight of the powerful work that we are doing.