mother's day...and all it can mean

I know a lot of you reading this celebrate Mother’s Day in the “traditional” sense. Maybe you send flowers to your mom, call her, or take her out to lunch. Maybe your husband and kids make you a messy breakfast in bed and surprise you with a spa day. What a day to be honored, celebrated, pampered, or just given a little break! Moms deserve that in spades, after all.

I also know a lot of you don’t experience this holiday in the same way whatsoever.

You might be doing this on your own, playing every role to your kids, and putting yourself last.

Maybe it’s because of a strained or absent relationship with your own mom.

Maybe your mom left this earth years ago and you ache to hear her voice again.

There are those who are an honorary mom to their children’s friends, a safe place where they feel loved and cared about.

Those that only held their babies for a very short time, maybe didn’t even get to at all.

I know there are so many women who long to be called “mom,” and are waiting for their child to be placed in their home, or are undergoing rigorous procedures to feel their baby grow in their bellies.

Maybe you made the brave decision to place your baby in the arms of another, so that they could experience a life you couldn’t quite provide at the time.

For every single circumstance, I see you. I honor you. I respect you where you are right now, at this very moment in your journey. We women are brave, powerful, beautiful, loving, and so much more. It can be so easy to forget that, but today, let it be true for you.