Mother's Day - With a Twist

Hope you all are having a wonderful Mother's Day!

While you're celebrating, please take a few minutes to say a prayer for women who are feeling left out and "less than" today because they do not have children.  Many of them will never admit that they're hurting.  Through eight years of infertility challenges, I put on a brave face and pretended I was childless by choice.  Mother's Day was the worst - flowers and cards and gifts for women who had children; listening to pastors extol the virtues of motherhood and fulfilling God's greatest plan for a woman, while fighting tears because I thought I had failed my husband and God.

My mother is an amazing woman and I honor her today, but she would still be an amazing woman if she had no children.  I am blessed beyond measure by the children we finally had.  But  I am not a better person because I physically gave birth.  I am a better person because of the things they have taught me.  There is a beautiful woman and two incredible boys out there who call me "Mom" and "Grandma" even though I have no genetic link to them.  They enrich my lift just by being in it.

Motherhood isn't about getting pregnant.  That's a physiological state, like catching a cold - if you're exposed to the right "germ" under the right circumstances, it happens.  Those nine months are the easy part.  Motherhood is about what you do after they are born or adopted or fostered.

Say thanks for your mother today.  If you are lucky enough to still have her with you, tell her.  Say thanks for your children, however they came into your life, and say an extra prayer for the women around you who are not mom's yet or never will be.  Tell them what a beautiful creation they are, just as they are.  Tell them how glad you are to have them as aunts, sisters, mentors and friends!

*The complete story of our fight through infertility can be found here.  Feel free to contact me if you have questions or need support.