Mother's Day

I love my mom! She is the greatest! I remember when I was little, making her horrible, ugly home made presents, like a flower made out of tissue paper. I also remember her proudly wearing that ugly flower to church and she seemed like it was the most beautiful gift in the world. I love the fact that I get a special day to celebrate my mom and I don't take for granted the fact that I still have a mom here on earth to celebrate the day with.

But, for the last few years as I was struggling with fertility, Mother's Day was also a very painful day. It was a reminder of all the things I so desperately wanted and did not yet have. I so wanted a little baby who would one day make me ugly flowers out of tissue paper that I would wear proudly. Going to mass was almost unbearable. Seeing all the moms beaming with pride, wearing flowers, or other little trinkets their little ones made them was heartbreaking. Thank goodness my parish did not have all the moms stand for a blessing, so I didn't have to look around at all the other single ladies who had not yet found someone to marry or married women with no children and watch them fight back tears, while fighting back my own.

This year, I am so blessed to be able to finally celebrate Mother's day. I plan to celebrate my mom (from afar) as well as my mother-in-law, sister, sisters-in-laws, Godmother, aunts and friends who define what great moms are. I will celebrate all the women who mothered me in some way in my formative years or shared their motherly wisdom with me as an adult.

But, I will also remember those with empty arms this Mothers day. I will remember those that have little ones in heaven and those that desire a child and have not yet been blessed with one. But the person I will remember most of all this Mother's day is Nathan's birth mother. She is the whole reason that I am a mother today. While I am Nathan's mom, she is as well. We each have different roles, but I know how much she loves Nathan and without her selfless choice we would not have Nathan in our lives. I am forever grateful that she chose us to be Nathan's parents and that she chose life for Nathan (and now for his little brother as well). I know Mother's Day will be hard for her and will be for all birth parents who chose to place their child for adoption. Would you remember all of these women in your prayers?