Mother's Day

Growing up, Mother's Day was a floating holiday in our household.  My dad wanted to celebrate my mom, but didn't like the idea of Hallmark dictating when we should do it  (I also think it maybe had to do with long waits at restaurants, but I digress...).  We generally celebrated the weekend before or after everyone else with a meal out, cards, and flowers.  So for as long as I can remember Mother's Day has been an annual celebration on my calendar as it is on the calendars of almost everyone I know.

While most people I know look forward to Mother's Day, there are also others who view this days with impending dread or a mixture of joy and sadness.

I am blessed to have a wonderful mother.  She is always there for me--no matter what.  I am blessed that she is not only my mother, but also one of my very best friends.  As an adult, daughter you cannot ask for more than a combination like that.  So there is joy in Mother's Day for me as the daughter of a loving mother.

But while there is joy, there is also sadness.  When we first began trying to start a family I remember thinking I may not be a mom this year, but next Mother's day I will be.  Looking back I was attempting to sooth my hurting heart, but  I now realize I was setting myself up for disappointment because. for whatever reason, becoming a mother is not something I have any control over.  

I recognize that this sadness is not mine alone, and, in fact isn't just reserved for those of us who have yet to have children.  It is with the above in mind, I offer this prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are so good.  You are with us in times of celebration.  You are celebrating with mothers and their families.  You are celebrating with mothers who have given life, but also women who have nurtured life:  Grandmothers, Stepmothers, Adoptive mothers, teachers, mentors, the list goes on and on.  You are providing an opportunity for the children (both young and grown) who have been blessed by wonderful women to let them know just how much they mean to them.

You are so good.  Just as you are with those who are celebrating, you are also with those of us who are hurting.  You are comforting men and women, boys and girls, who have lost their mother.  You are comforting men and women who are estranged from their mother.  You are comforting mothers who have lost a child or are estranged from a child.  You are comforting birth mothers who have placed a child for adoption.  You are comforting those of us who wish to be mothers, but are not yet, or may not ever be.

For it is only through your comfort that I feel a sense of peace today, and for that I give thanks.  In your holy and precious name I pray. Amen.