Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful women out there who bring love to a child, whether young or grown, whether that woman is mother or not.

I knew that I wanted to write a Mother's Day post but I really struggled about what to say. Mother's Day has so much significance to so many people and yet, it can be such a wonderful day or such an incredibly painful day, depending of your life circumstances. I kept debating, do I focus on the joys of motherhood or do I write about the pain that I know is associated with this day for so many? I have decided to touch a bit on each.

Motherhood has been the most powerful experience of my life. Pk has taught me about joy in ways that I could have never imagined - I now understand what it is to have a piece of my heart walking around outside of my body There is nothing like being told that someone loves you and in a way that leaves you with absolutely no doubt. There is something so powerful about being truly needed. There is nothing like the way that a little person can fill your arms or the sweetness of a head on your shoulder. Who knew that sharing just about anything could be so precious? I see the world in a totally different way that I could never have imagined before this little body joined us. I also know guilt of a depth that I had never experienced before, frustration that is almost indescribable and, at times, a sadness and helplessness that makes me feel that my heart will break. Motherhood has a power that is so profound. It leaves none of us untouched.

For so many, there is also such a sadness to this day. I have a friend who has basically given up the battle with infertility and this is a Sunday that she does not venture to church - it leaves her too raw and feeling too excluded. I read a wonderful blog post today that addresses some of these issues and I suggest you give it a read. For others, they are missing a mother who was a special influence in life and today reminds them of the loss. Laura wrote a touching post on this subject. It's hard to know how to best honour mothers and motherhood but to do it in a way that recognizes everyone.

Really, after these reflections, what I am left with, and what you have probably already seen reflected here, is the power that motherhood has on all of us. It is the most priceless gift and the most awesome responsibility. It can change everything about us and its absence can leave us with a hole that is almost impossible to fill. Today, I hope that you have a chance to reflect on the wonderful women in your life who have helped to shape who you are and that you can also appreciate any experiences you have had with that power. I will be enjoying my little girl, treasuring the movements I am feeling (at the moment, most especially, the chronic hiccups), feeling so lucky to have had the chance to go on this journey, and saying thank you to my mother and hoping that my grandmother, who left my life at age 12, is able to know what a gift she was to me.

Happy Mother's Day.