Happy Mother’s Day to the Motley Crew of Us

This morning, I read the most beautiful Mother’s Day article written by Melanie Durfee Picket.  She recently posed two questions on her Facebook: “What is the best part of being a mother? And what is the hardest part?” Melanie got a flood of touching, awing and eye-opening responses, which she shares in her post. Read them, and share your own with me in the comments below.

Melanie also spells out very eloquently what it means to be a mother. But what moved me most, which she’s graciously allowed me to share here, was her shout-out to the whole motley crew of us moms. She dedicates her article as follows:

“For all the moms who’ve spent hours in labor or bear the scar of a C-section;

for the moms who suffer the unimaginable pain of mourning their child;

for the moms who tie shoes and wipe noses, run carpool and never miss a game, recital or play;

for the stepmoms, bonus moms, and mother figures;

for the moms who are dog-tired but still power through to meet everyone else’s needs;

for the moms at work and the moms at home;

for the moms fighting for their child’s life or the moms fighting for their own;

for the creative moms, the sporty moms, the proper moms, and the silly moms;

for the moms who clean and cook and run themselves ragged and it all often goes unnoticed;

for the moms who bear tiger stripes, saggy skin, and scars: the badges of motherhood;

for the moms whose arms are empty and for the moms whose arms are full;

for the moms who adopted her babies and for the moms who are waiting to;

for the women who pray to carry a child;

for the moms who work numerous jobs just to meet the needs of her children;

for the moms returning to school to make a better way for her family;

for the moms with high degrees and the moms with no degrees;

for the moms in luxury vehicles and the moms who ride the bus;

for the moms who love their children and would do anything in their power for them, this is for you.

You are loved, you are seen, you are appreciated. You do the impossible, your strength is admirable,  you love fiercely, and you do the hardest and best job in the world by doing what you do best: being a mom.“

Happy Mother’s Day, supermoms. If I could be so bold, I’d say we have the best job and the worst job – the most gratifying and the least gratifying, the most beautiful and the most frightening, the most extraordinary and the most ordinary.  Either way, at the end of the day, our day, whenever that may be, may we look back and know and accept that we did the best that we could and our best was good enough.