Mother's Day; Quite Possibly the Most Wonderful Day of the Year.

 

So this was my third Mother's Day as a Mom. It's amazing how, once you're a Mom, you finally realize the significance of Mother's Day. I truly don't expect any extravagant gifts on Mother's Day, because I already got the two greatest gifts imaginable in these two:

 

Being a Mom has also given me a huge appreciation for other Moms, and in particular my own. I can barely manage 2 kids on a daily basis, and yet somehow Mom managed to raise 4 of us...and we all became productive members of society! (didn't we?)

 

I did have a great, though exhausting, Mother's Day. The morning started off with a breakfast prepared by Chris:

 



The croissants tasted much better when smothered in Chris's homemade strawberry jam and the strawberries tasted much better when smothered in chocolate pudding!
After church, Chris and Max cut the grass while Tessa and I relaxed inside. Now, I'm not saying they didn't earn it, BUT I did tell Chris that the ONE thing I wanted for Mother's Day was a nap. Somehow every single living being in my home managed to get one that day EXCEPT for me.

Ah well...I did get some awesome stuff from my little guy. Max presented me with this bracelet :

that A) I really do like and B) is all the more special because he picked it out for me. And he made me these great cards, which I really do treasure much more than a store-bought card that Chris might have picked out for him.

So while I was completely exhausted by the time I went to bed last night, I still think that Mother's Day MIGHT be the most wonderful day of the year, because I spend the whole day thinking about how lucky I am to be a Mom to the two cutest little things on the planet.

Finally, as someone who spent at least several Mother's Days worrying that she might never become a Mother, this except from a blog by (non-Mom) Amy Young that was printed in the church bulletin this week really struck a chord with me. I'm so thankful to be a biological Mom, but also appreciative of all the Mother-figures in the world.

To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you
To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst
To those who have aborted children – we remember them and you on this day
To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be
To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths
To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
To those who placed children up for adoption — we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.