Mother’s Day is one of those holidays that is bittersweet for many people. All women aren’t mothers. Some individuals don’t have mothers that they remember fondly or as a mother that deserves kudos for the life she has lived. Their are birth mothers, foster mothers, adoptive mothers and mother like figures. Some of those mothers are great mothers and natural at nurturing and some mothers have issues like addictions, or emotional problems…
That being said…even those mother’s have something for which to be remembered and that is for bringing their children into the world. At the most basic level…giving life is something to honor; since not every woman who discovers she is pregnant makes the choice to give birth to her child. If you had a mother who only functioned at a bare minimum, then I hope you had another woman who filled a mother- like role in your life, encouraging, teaching, praising and loving you; someone to step in and protect you. Acknowledge that person on mother’s day and don’t let the negative emotions in regards to whether a birth mother was mother of the year or not; choose to celebrate love.
I’ve been blessed and I want to take a moment to celebrate love. A few years ago, we were told that my mother had an enlarged heart. This was traumatic as my mother was/is one of those women who loved and encouraged her children as we grew up. She continues to do this. Now her medical condition has been treated with medication and close monitoring; we are grateful for that. However, it got me to thinking about mothers who love deeply.
I thought about the changes that happen when a woman is pregnant. Her emotions change, her mind changes as she makes decisions that she feels are the best for her and her child. Hopefully, she has a loving and supportive mate to help her as she parents her child…not everyone does. A pregnant woman’s spirit changes too…she has to think beyond herself and how the life of the child she carries will be influenced by the choices she makes in life. Finally, her body changes…oh you know the usual: weight gain, swollen ankles, varicose veins…hemorrhoids…headaches and cravings. The important change I think for a woman who really wants to be a mother, is that her heart enlarges…it makes room for more love than you can imagine a heart to contain.
That love is what builds a life that can withstand problems, challenges, and negativity that is sure to come their way as they live their lives. That love is what opens the door to the good things in life that are meant to be enjoyed and nurtured. That love is what keeps the human race continuing.
I think mothers who chose to love and are loved in return should be celebrated. If you didn’t get that, from the luck of the draw, at the moment of your conception & birth…you can still find it. Everyone wants and needs that kind of love in their life. Be sensitive towards those who you know have a hard time at this time of year due to abandonment issues, abuse, neglect or due to the death of their mother figure. Be a role model and encourage those who are sad or lonely or feeling cheated in the mother department.
This world is full of women who have enlarged hearts and are willing to share them. Find someone to celebrate the good things in your life with. Whether it be as a sister, a friend, an auntie, a grandma, a daughter…a teacher, a neighbor or a pen pal; a mother’s heart can be found in a multitude of relationships. Let yourself love and be loved. Don’t let a broken biological accident of birth scar you into a negative mother’s day. Find someone who can share an enlarged heart with you…and give & receive the best that life has to offer…a truly wonderful Mother’s Day!
Write where you are 