Mothering Day

I am thankful and blessed to be able to spend a day celebrating some pretty neat people in my life. I will be the first to acknowledge that I have been incredibly blessed with a number of remarkable women who play a vital role in my life and have shaped who I have become over the last 25 years of my life.

I learned early on that biological family is great, but sometimes highly over-rated. Genes and DNA do not necessarily make a family. I am extremely lucky to have my mom be someone who did a pretty good job raising us 3 kids (mostly on her own too). She has sacrificed a lot over the years for us and will continue to go beyond the call of duty to make sure we are taken care of. However, I think we both would tell you that we don't have the ideal "Mother-Daughter" relationship. We often butt heads, but that in no way diminishes her importance in my life. We will also readily admit that I was not the easiest child to parent (shocking, I know :). Thank you to my mom - who loves me, who put up with me for all these years and who gave so much of herself for her kids.

Throughout my teenage years and into my twenties, I have been fortunate to have been adopted into other families and those women have been incredibly influential in me being who I am today. I am a very lucky girl!

I think it's a neat thing when you can have a bunch of different women in your life - friends, mentors, etc, each who bring a unique offering to the table in how they "mother", but when compiled, their gifts and influence in my life brings out the very best in me. I have incredible friends who are mothers themselves now - who I have had the privilege of walking beside as they parent. They are phenomenal mothers and have taught me much already in how I will strive to parent one day. 

If I'm being honest with myself, I will admit that this isn't always the easiest day of the year for me. I would love to be on the other end of the giving/receiving on Mother's Day and be a mom myself. Unfortunately the time has not come yet, but in the meantime, I will joyfully celebrate the lovely women in my life who love me, who I love in return, who have encouraged and supported me and who have taught me so much.

So, to Mary, Sandra, Nicole, Rose, Sandra, Sabrina, Kristy, Aimee and Heidi, I thank you for being an example of what being a mom looks like. Thank you for loving me, for encouraging me, for pushing me, for kicking me in the ass when I have needed it and for praying for me regularly. You are all amazing women and I am beyond blessed to have you a part of my life.

Happy Mothering Day!