Mother's Day

This morning I read a beautiful post by a woman who has struggled for years with infertility and she wrote about how she chooses to love Mother's Day. Mother's day is probably the most difficult day of the year for women struggling with infertility and I love that she chose to come to God, pray for a miracle and choose to love this holiday.

I have the utmost respect for this woman, she has learned so much on her journey and has been a huge blessing to so many other women in our position, while also educating so many on the pain and struggles of infertility. I however, am taking a slightly different approach this Sunday. Not because I don't agree with her post, but because I have not yet experienced the healing that she has and I want to allow God to heal me while giving myself the space to do so. So, I am going to celebrate my mother and mother-in-law for the women that they are and all that they have done for Elias and I. I have invited them to our house for a BBQ and maybe some fishing if the weather holds out. I want to love on them and honor them for who they are while just having a fun time where I am not focused on what I don't have. Instead we are choosing to focus on what we do have. On the other side of things however, for the first time on this journey, I am choosing not to go to church on Mother's Day (stick with me now). I am making this choice to allow myself to have the space that I need to grieve on this day if I need to grieve. Church services on Mother's Day are beautiful in they way that they honor mother's, but in every church there are women who for a number of reasons, are struggling on this day. There are women who have chosen to not have children, some that have not yet had the opportunity to have children, some that cannot have children, some that have lost children, some that have placed children for adoption and know that they made the best choice for their child, but still mourn that loss, or women who have had abortions and are struggling with the emotional and maybe even physical scars of that decision. On this day, these women tend to be forgotten and many of them suffer silently while women smile and receive flowers all around them.

This year I ask that you recognize all women on this day. We don't know everyone's story, but I can guarantee that all women should be celebrated and you could completely transform the pain of Mother's Day for a woman by telling her how much you love, respect and honor her for who she is and what she has done. If you know a woman who may be struggling this Sunday, be intentional about reaching out her in some way. Most of us who are not mother's in the literal sense, have found other ways to mother. So shower all the women you meet this weekend with love, it could deeply touch a life.