A Mother's Strength

Those who know me know I've always wanted to be a mom. I love kids and have imagined my life as a mother for more years than I can remember. Despite my deep desire to experience motherhood however, God has had other plans for me, and so far, these don't involve kids. At least not kids of my own. And every day I come a little closer to accepting that. After all, who am I to question God's will?

The thing of it is, in my dreams of being a mom, I always imagined the fun, rewarding part of motherhood. Never once did I stop to think of the challenges, sacrifices, the sleepless nights, the worrying, the helplessness when a child is sick or hurt. My version of motherhood involved only happy, butterfly kisses, chubby little arms thrown around my neck and a tiny voice saying, "I wub you mommy!", and sunny smiles. My teenage kids in this fantasy land? Well, they consider me and Kevin (my husband) their best friends! Hey, it's my fantasy, however unrealistic it may be.

But every now and then, I am reminded that my imaginings are just that. One never knows what you may be faced with as a parent, and no amount of imagining, or reading, or watching other parents, will ever prepare you for what motherhood really is.

The moms I know are strong. They are selfless women. They are the women I want on my side if we are attacked by zombies. They are not perfect, but they will strive tirelessly and unrelentingly to achieve some level of perfection when it comes to their children. They will sacrifice themselves if it means health and happiness for their kids. They know no bounds of love, and they have my complete admiration. When I look around at the moms in my life, I am reminded of the work that motherhood is, and I am humbled by the grace, patience and untiring love these woman exhibit, even when things get rough.

I am writing this because I want to give a shout out to all the moms in my life; friends and family alike. You ladies are amazing and you are deeply admired and respected. And to that one woman who is facing an especially challenging situation, and you know who you are, to you I say, "God is with you. Your children are lucky to have you. You are a rock, a light, a safe place for your children and husband. You are amazing! Hold fast to God's promise to be with you always, and know that He has a plan, and His plan is good because He is good." And to the rest of you wonderful ladies, hats off to you. The gift card companies got it wrong. Mother's Day should be every day.

Here's to my mom and all the other moms in my life - you ladies ROCK!


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