This post was originally written in 2012. I have made updates and substantial changes that reflect my own family’s growth, as well as changes in my own experiences and outlook.
In March of 2011, the arrival of a beautiful little girl, daughter of my youngest son and his wife, made me a grandmother for the first time. A little over a year later we welcomed her younger brother, and a few years after that, another little brother.
About the time of the youngest grandson’s birth my middle son introduced us to his future wife, and our soon to be new grandson, who was five when we met him first. A few years after that we welcomed our now youngest grandson into the family.
Along the way, my oldest son met and married a young lady with three more children who became ours to love and enjoy. So, for those who’ve lost count, we now have eight grandchildren.
We adults tend to reflect on this day about our older moms, perhaps even mothers or grandmothers gone from us now, a picture specific to our grown selves, a mature and experienced mother we see in the now moment. I have been thinking of motherhood, the stages of it, for some time now, reflecting on the changes that happened to me as I had each child, as our family grew up, as they left the nest and grandchildren came along, as I watch my daughters in law and sons with their own families, the mothers who struggle so hard with the demands only a young family faces.
So, I would like to write about the stages of motherhood, and perhaps, for the sake of coherence and the story, I will make assumptions about families that may not match everyone’s experience. That does not mean I value your experience less. Families come in a lot of shapes and sizes these days, from foster families, step children, and those made up of “honorary” mom or grandmother who might have stepped into the role to help a child in need.
With the first baby comes overwhelming love, awe, fear, joy, and the gushing happiness specific to motherhood. You have had 9 long months to prepare for this precious little miracle God is entrusting to you, and yet you are not ready, you can never really be prepared. How can you be prepared for that first embrace, the soft, sweet skin, the way your heart just stops at the first cry? How can you anticipate the perfection of the unfocused stare of your baby? The completion of your family, the way your love for your husband, and his for you, is multiplied and increased, the way that three people have become a little universe of love? How can you possibly imagine the utter weariness of night upon night without sleep? The fear at the first cough or hiccup? The inner warrior woman you never knew existed who is ready to leap into action at any threat to that child? The hopes, the dreams, the plans you and your husband share as you hold that little part of you?
And so a family grows, and so does a mother. She learns that a cry is not a notice of imminent harm to her child, that a sneeze does not require a call to the doctor, that she can indeed care for a family, go to work, pick up the laundry, and live with spots on her clothes, all on four hours of sleep on a good day. Perhaps a year or two down the road, she is blessed with another child, and the cycle of life and love continues.
The little family again finds that love’s multiplicative power is infinite. The second and third children arrive with a little less fear, but just as much love. This time, Mom knows what she is in for, and she knows that she also has this first little one to care for, as well as a new baby. Now she has gained confidence, emotionally, and physically. She is able to carry a toddler in one arm and a baby in the other, with a diaper bag, purse, and a bag of groceries, all while using a foot to block the dog and open the door. Home life has a routine, and things are not perfect, but very good…and that is fine. Each additional child is a perfect blessing, adding much to the family, each special and needed and loved.
The school years start, and the real juggle begins. School clothes, homework, lunches, field trips, friends, hurt feelings, report cards. Mom learns to be a tutor, a defender, a referee, and an advocate. She must stand strong, proud and sometimes alone, in defense of what is right, which often differs from what is wanted. All of these demands are like Mom boot camp. Hopefully, they have partially prepared her for the teen age years. Nothing short of direct intervention by God could truly prepare a mother for those years, never mind that she herself actually once was a teenager, in a time and land far, far away.
And so, with the years and experiences, the mother has grown, matured, become someone who is so strong, so powerful, she can withstand the whine of a young lady who is sure she is the only one who doesn’t have a snakeskin belly ring, and the indignant glare of the young man who doesn’t get to take the family car out on Saturday night. She sleeps lightly, if at all, when her children are out, knowing the dangers that await them, the terrible choices she can prepare them for, but never make for them. She rejoices at their triumphs, and agonizes at their pain. She knows she must let them pull away, make mistakes, fall and hurt themselves, just as they did when they took their first steps. But, oh, how that hurts.
Her fierce and abiding love has been tempered, strengthened, deepened and that depth is endless, that strength a force that stands in the face of every challenge, hurt, struggle, and threat.
Children, despite all the odds, grow up and leave the nest. Out they go into a world mom can’t control or fix for them, and her toughest, hardest times come along with the joy and the pride.
Perhaps one fine day, she sits at the front of the church with tears in her eyes as her child makes the vows that will found a new family. This child of hers is now grown, and she thought she would sigh in relief at the easing of responsibility, the freedom she now has. But she has learned a new lesson, a very hard lesson getting to this point. Her sons and daughters must make their own way in a sometimes cruel world, and she knows that now, the less she does for them, the stronger they are. She must let them take the hard knocks, the heartbreak, possibly even the despair. To interfere would be to weaken them, and that she must not do. She must learn when she is truly needed, as a mother will always be needed, and when she can only pray, and hope, and encourage, and love…always love.
Then comes the day when she hears the most magical words in all of the world. “Mom, we’re going to have a baby.” Or perhaps, as in our family, wonderful new children to love come along with their mothers who marry into the family. More children to love, children you weren’t able to hold as a babe. Love has brought more wonderful young people into your family. And the cycle starts again, for a new mother, and an older mother. One who must learn to nurture and care, one to hold close her babies, and one to let go her grown children and love with looser bonds, those of a doting grandmother. Mistakes are made by every mother, in every cycle of life, but still, those kids manage to grow and thrive and be wonderful and awesome, and the family is bound together, partly, strongly, eternally, by the sacrifice and joy of a mother’s love.
The world turns, the seasons change, the children grow up. A new generation is born, and the same responsibilities must be met. One thing helps hold it all together, one thing makes it all possible. Love. It takes a whole lot more than love to raise a family, but it all starts there. Love is the essential spark that starts the fire. Love is the foundation, and it never gets used up, or broken, or tarnished. Love shines brightly with an eternal light. It crosses generations, and it breaches the gap between this world and the next. For each of us who have lost our mother, our grandmother, or a beloved mother in law have seen that light, felt the warmth of that love long after the loved one is gone.
For the gifts of my own eight grandchildren my heart swells with love and joy, pride and happiness, and especially gratitude. My prayers will be with you all of your lives, bound together with you through the Communion of Saints. May you know the love of God that keeps you all of your lives.
It’s awesome to be a grandmother, but to my surprise, a little more difficult than anticipated. Sure, I’m leaving to my kids the middle of the night feedings, the real juggling of school, dance classes and wrestling or football practice, doctor visits, work, shopping, church, and all the other many demands, but still…
Age and experience have left me with a heart full of hope, and some trepidation, as I watch my grandchildren grow up in this fast spinning world. It seems to me that when I was a child, and even later as my kids grew up, there was time to just be a kid. Time to play dodge ball and jump rope, time to ride our bikes and play barefoot in the warm summer dirt and grass until the sun set and moms throughout the neighborhood insistently called from porches as light faded and bath water filled the tubs.
The world now seems less about play and childhood and more about scheduling and expectations. So, I would like to say to our young mothers, don’t let that happen. Remember, you are in control here, take the time that will never come back and be sure that your kids get to be kids and your family gets to savor this time, seize moments of quiet and peace and belonging to each other without the jangle and intrusion of the modern world. Don’t wait for vacation or breaks or special occasions. Do it now. Take a moment or two, and just enjoy each other and today.
In a world demanding accomplishments and measurements, I am telling you that childhood and playing matter just as much. Hugs and giggles and snuggling on lazy Saturday mornings matter just as much. Let your kids stomp through mud puddles. Let them catch toads and worms and lightning bugs and peek at the eggs in a bird’s nest. Let them stay up late on a school night to talk to you about their world and their hurts and hopes every so often, at times they know you created just for them. Don’t lose spontaneity and creativity and just plain fun for the crossing off of accomplishments.
The Treehouse wishes all of our mothers a happy and blessed day. We hope you are enjoying the company of family and friends, and that you will perhaps take a moment and share a special memory or two of a beloved woman in your life, or tell a tale or two about your own children.
I would also like to wish my own daughters in law a Happy Mothers Day. You are the best mothers in the world and I am so grateful and blessed that my grandchildren have you for their mother. I hope your day is filled with love and hugs and messy kisses.
Happy Mother’s Day!
“Birthing person, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead
Birthing person, life had just begun
But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away
Birthing person, ooh, ooh
Didn’t mean to make you cry
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters
Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body’s aching all the time
Goodbye everybody, I’ve got to go”
Happy Birthing Persons Day! Adopted mothers not included obviously.
incisive wit, Alien
Thank you. For some reason that song was just in my head thinking about moms. ?
Then add some absurdity from the left
And
Voila!
Ohhhhhhh Mommmmaaa!
Birthing person is disrespectful. Not inclusive!!! Not inclusive!!!!!!!
I am going to burn something down to show my displeasure.
It leaves out old feminists who had to buy a surrogate to have their child and pampered Hollyweirdos who buy children from Africa and the other fashionable spots du jour to acquire their photogenic broods.
We need a word for any female who raises a child she gave birth to or not. According to my research here is an ancient indigenous word that will do. “Mother.”
Thanks as always, Menagerie, for such a wonderfully touching post
So beautifully written!! I am thankful always to my Mother, since passed. She made me into the strong independent person I became. She watched me stumble, fall and didnt catch me!! Those lessons built me solid to stand on my own!! I am a Mother to two beautiful children, a wonderful daughter in law and two beautiful grandchildren. God truly blessed my life and the gift of watching them grow has deepened the love and understanding of my own Mother. Somehow through good times, bad times, and ever changing times, A Mother’s Love grows to accommodate every obstacle, every burden, every challenge, and still finds a way to embrace her children!!
“Happy Mothers Day”
To Mine, to yours, and to those who Mother others!!
With much Love
Happy Mothers day all. I lost mine two years ago on January 6th after a long bout with dementia with pneumonia finally ending it. She would not go while any of us were there. The nurses told us that she would wait until she was alone. So on the night of the 2nd day we left her alone and in less than an hour she had passed. A more Loving, kind, and understanding woman never walked this earth.
Now we know why you are the man you are.
Thank you for this beautiful story, Menagerie. I pray every single day for my daughter and her family and the future for her son, my grandson. Many blessings wished for your family in this uneasy time. Thank you and Sundance for being there like a wise extended family. Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mothers Day Menagerie, and all the mother’s here. And God bless you all and your families..
Thank you, that is beautiful. Happy Mothers Day to you and yours.
That was beautiful Menagerie! ??? Happy Mother’s Day!
Beautiful Menagerie. You remind us al that Mother’s Day is a celebration of the Circle of Life.
Thank you so very much for putting thoughts and emotions into words… a tribute to motherhood which, once begun, never ends!
Hi Mom…it was eighteen years ago this month when everyone said goodbye to you.
Except for me…I said I’d see you later. I love you and I miss you…but I long for that day when I will hear your sweet voice and I will see your smiling face.
May God richly bless all moms. And if yours is still here, call her…go see her…hug her…tell her you love her!
Just beautiful, Gunner. I can’t really express how much this touched my heart.
It’s been 5 years for me & I know exactly how you feel, I said the same thing. She was my rock n I still grieve the loss In my Soul. Thank you for sharing yours, God Bless us all!
Beautifully written. Share with all the Moms you know.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the great women out there!
Happy Mother’s Day
So much wisdom here Menagerie…Thank You! ?
We lost our sweet Mom, Elvene, in 1 999. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t all think about her and what love she brought to everyone. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. ??? your three children.
I always look forward to your posts Menagerie. I’m grateful to have had conversations with both my grandmothers and still do with one of them. I like asking her about her grandmothers and youth. I have to get her to talk about it because she thinks it’s boring and she always laughs asking me why I ask these poignant questions.
“Love crosses generations”…is what I will say to her today. Thanks for sharing this again.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mothers Day, Menagerie. I love your posts.
Happy Mother’s Day, Menagerie and thank you for the wisdom you share. Your thoughts on being a grandmother and invitation to share memories made me think of my own grandmother – and of the important role played by grandparents.
My grandmother, a German living in the Ukraine, immigrated to America as a six-year-old in 1912. Her father, a farmer and blacksmith, realized a war was brewing when he saw the buildup of border troops as he returned home from working in the U.S. He packed up his family and immigrated to the U.S., moving to a German-speaking community where he farmed until he and one of his sons were killed in an explosion while clearing stumps, leaving my twelve-year-old grandmother without her beloved father or favorite brother – and with a mother who bitterly resented being left with ten fatherless children.
Forced to leave school after the eighth grade, by sixteen my grandmother had left the farm to work as a maid in the city, learned to speak English without an accent, and eventually married my grandfather, a civil engineer. Living in a tiny little house and raising three children during the Depression, my grandmother learned to make meals stretch to feed unemployed friends and family members, and lodged her younger siblings as they searched for work in the city. In spite of their limited resources, my grandmother’s goal was to ensure that her children received the education of which she had been deprived. She skimped and saved to afford piano and dance lessons for her daughter, and insisted that she attend university, just like her older brothers – much to the disapproval of family friends who thought it a waste to educate a girl.
When war came, my grandmother was forced to hide her German origins to avoid discrimination and as the mother of two sons, worried every time she saw gold stars in the windows of her neighborhood, that she, too, could lose her boys to a war in a distant land. To her great relief, her boys were just young enough to miss the end of the war, serving instead in the occupation forces and subsequently going to college on the GI bill – with one becoming a research chemist and the other, a nuclear physicist.
In spite of her difficult childhood, my grandmother always smiled. I didn’t hear the stories of her past until I was a mother myself because she didn’t speak of herself, focusing instead on her children and grandchildren. She sewed for us, baked cookies and cakes and her delicious bread (devoured hot out of the oven with melted butter) for us, played cards with us, and always let us know that we were loved. With an eighth grade education, she was one of the most intelligent women I’ve known, taking every opportunity to learn new skills. In her neighborhood of immigrants, she learned to design delicate lace patterns from her Armenian neighbor, to cook the best matzo ball soup from her Jewish neighbor, to make Scottish shortbread from her Scottish friend – and taught herself to repair appliances – while reading and keeping up on politics and current events.
As my grandmother was dying, she was slipping in and out of consciousness but kept asking the time – knowing that her second son was due to arrive by plane to see her. When he entered her room, she sat up and was soon pouring him a cup of tea from the teapot on her nightstand. She spent two days visiting with him until he had to leave and then, after he had left, said to me, “I’m tired. I think I’ll sleep now.” She died that night.
So thank you Menagerie, for reminding us of the role played not just by our mothers, but by our grandmothers, as well. I clearly remember as a teenager not ever wanting to disappoint my grandmother whose respect I so valued. I wanted to be deserving of her unconditional love. So happy Mother’s Day to mothers and grandmothers, and to the children of these strong and wonderful women. And may all who may be mourning the loss of a mother or grandmother, find comfort in loving memories.
Thank you menagerie. That was a lovely post.
I think we really understand our mothers once we hace children of our own. My kids were the best thing that ever happened to me.
Always love this.
Without question the most important job on the planet.
Thank you, all Moms. May you be the one pampered today.
Menagerie I always enjoy your posts, and this year’s Mothers day message seems to resonate a little bit more than usual. This year is the first time I awaken on this day and I have no children in the house. My oldest just got her first apartment, and my son is still away at school. Its made me more reflective than past years, and boy I’m feeling older than usual. Looking back however, I realize just how lucky I’ve been and how many blessings we’ve all shared as a family. We’ve been very fortunate….there’s been a great deal of joy, and somehow very little heartache. My kids, now 23 and 20 have never really brought us any truly scary or heartbreaking moments, and for that I’m truly grateful. I don’t know how or why we’ve managed to escape the devistating pitfalls that so many parents endure? I know it can’t all be the result of my actions, there has to be some luck involved. Maybe its my own mom looking down and somehow still providing a protective shield. She didn’t get to see her grandchildren grow and thrive as she died when when daughter was 18 months, and never got to meet my son.
I also always remember the one I lost in between my first and second child. I don’t like to use the term miscarriage bc it was very early in my pregnancy, yet we were still heartbroken. But then I remind myself that I wouldn’t have my William. We had only planned on 2 children, and even if that child had been born, he or she still wouldn’t have been William.
I want to extend a heartfelt happy mothers day to all the moms, and grandmothers here at the Treehouse. Wishing you all love and joy today!
What a beautiful article! So well written and touching.
My mother passed away last August, so this is my first Mother’s Day without her.
She juggled 4 kids in her day and did an amazing job. She wasn’t perfect, but who is?
Happy Mother’s Day Ma! I miss our long conversations on solving the world’s problems.
Happy Mother’s Day ?
Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful ladies who have graced our lives. I think Paul Harvey missed it. You could say “So God made a Mother” and add each task you all do and it would dwarf the original speech by three paragraphs……
Thanks, Menagerie, for this lovely tribute to mothers and motherhood, no matter their age or circumstances.
I’m thinking about my own mother today. She wouldn’t have won the cooking and cleaning mother award, but she sure would have won the loving, creative and fun-loving award! Sometimes I wish she had prompted me to be a better housekeeper, but I think that the rest is more important. Jessie has been gone almost 24 years now, but she won’t be forgotten.
Great story…Happy Mother’s day.
For the author, when our first Grand Child arrive 7 years ago, my daughter gave us a present that resides on our Fire Place after 4 more grand kids.
“Grand Parents are born with the birth of every child.”
Oh I like that quote!
Happy Mothers day, and God bless the mothers around the world!
Happy Mother’s Day!
What a wonderful essay!
God bless all Mothers.
Happy Mother’s Day Menagerie and to each and every treeper mom. We take our moms for granted, because we know, they will always be there for us. They love us unconditionally, even when we don’t deserve it. Happy Mother’s Day, to all our moms, the hardest job on planet earth.
My wife and I have 5 grandchildren. Sadly, one of our daughters just had a miscarriage this week which would have been her first and our sixth. But life goes on and she will try again.
Even more sad, our first 4 grandchildren (4 kids in 5 years), 3 girls and then a boy, were born to one of our sons and his girlfriend, and they happened to be fighting addiction at the time. They lost their kids due to this addiction. We first fostered our 3 little granddaughters and then a year later we adopted them. The girls now get to visit their 1-year clean father (our son) occasionally, but they haven’t seen their mother in nearly 3 years. Their boy, the 4th of their babies, was born after we already had taken in the 3 girls. Because it would have been too much for us at our age, he was adopted by his great aunt on their mom’s side( she’s still in her 40’s). Our girls do get to see their brother, but not nearly often enough since the Covid. His adopted mom is a devout follower of the Covid, but she seems to be a decent enough mom for a liberal.
We retired early to take care of the girls, and it was a tough adjustment. But over the last 3 years, it has become a lot easier. We now consider these 3 little girls to be the biggest blessing of our lives. It’s still a lot of work for these old bones, but the love we receive from these girls is more than we ever could have imagined. The girls used to cry for their mommy, and sad to say it, but they barely remember their biological mom now. We are now their mom and dad, and I am enjoying the happiest times of my 64 year long lifetime. The girls are so happy now. I can’t imagine a life without these girls in my daily life.
My wife, the adopted mother of these 3 little girls…I truly can’t say enough good things about her. She is raising her second set of kids. She fills two roles- mother and grandmother. She’s the best. She deserves so much appreciation for filling both of those roles. I wish her the happiest of Mother’s days.
Oh Menagerie, thank you.
I miss my mom still.
But I’m blessed with a beautiful 3 year old grandson and I’m so grateful to see the wheel turn.
May every mom today feel blessed and loved!
Happy Mother’s Day to all
Moms in the Tree and all the Mother’s of Treepers! ???
Beautifully written as always.
Happy Mother’s Day
Lost mine in 2019. Not a day goes by, that I don’t think of her, the memories and the awesome lady she was. Today is bitter/sweet
Tillie Majczek. That’s a name to remember on Mother’s Day. She scrubbed floors for 11 years to raise the money to free her son from a false murder conviction — and succeeded. The true story of this heroic mother, and the reporter who took up her cause is told in the 1948 film “Call Northside 777.” A touching story, well told. The film is available free on youtube. Here’s a short clip of skeptical reporter Jimmy Stewart first encountering the mother:
Beautiful! Happy Mother’s Day and thank you for posting this again.
In a world spinning crazily out of control right now, there is always reassurance, a constant, that is a Mother’s love. I pray for those who never feel that love or who have lost their mothers at an early age. However, the bond of giving life is always there, even if the person called Mother isn’t. Take some comfort in that.
I hope all mothers have a wonderful and peaceful day with their children today, however they can and with their own mothers, whether here or gone, in their thoughts, prayers and hearts.
Thank you, Menagerie, for taking me on a beautiful stroll through my own motherhood experiences for which my heart is overflowing with gratitude!
Very Beautiful. ? Thank You
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers
Glenn Campbell, “The Hand that rocks the Cradle, moves the World”
He got here and wrinkled scared and cryin’
The she took him up and held him to her breast
And he sure was glad to get what mama offered
Then he went to sleep and put his fears to rest
It didn’t seem to matter what he needed
He could always count on mama to supply
And regardless of the sleep she might be losin’
He always found a twinkle in her eye
There ought to be a hall of fame for mamas
Creation’s most unique and precious pearls
And heaven help us always to remember
That the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world
She taught him all the attributes of greatness
That she knew he couldn’t learn away from home
And by the time she wore the cover off her bible
Her hair was gray and her little man was gone
There ought to be a hall of fame for mamas
Creation’s most unique and precious pearls
And heaven help us always to remember
That the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
Yes, the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
…
More of the story from Wikipedia:
“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Is the Hand That Rules the World” is a poem by William Ross Wallace that praises motherhood as the preeminent force for change in the world. The poem was first published in 1865 under the title “What Rules the World”. Although the poem itself is now largely forgotten, the poem’s refrain became a commonly quoted proverb.
Original poem:
Blessings on the hand of women!
Angels guard its strength and grace.
In the palace, cottage, hovel,
Oh, no matter where the place;
Would that never storms assailed it,
Rainbows ever gently curled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
Infancy’s the tender fountain,
Power may with beauty flow,
Mothers first to guide the streamlets,
From them souls unresting grow —
Grow on for the good or evil,
Sunshine streamed or evil hurled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
Woman, how divine your mission,
Here upon our natal sod;
Keep – oh, keep the young heart open
Always to the breath of God!
All true trophies of the ages
Are from mother-love impearled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
Blessings on the hand of women!
Fathers, sons, and daughters cry,
And the sacred song is mingled
With the worship in the sky —
Mingles where no tempest darkens,
Rainbows evermore are hurled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
Thank You, Moms.
I saw myself in your essay, Menagerie. My husband and I had 7 children, now all grown. Four of them have children of their own, all the way from the age of 24 to a 10 month old baby. My oldest son, who made me a grandmother at 49, has four children: 3 from his first marriage and one with his new wife. He’s 46, his wife is 34, their son is 10 months old. His oldest son will make me a great grandmother in a few months.
We have 10 grandchildren: 5 boys and 5 girls, but that very likely will not be the last. Our 2 youngest sons, the twins, at the age of 33, have finally found their life mates. One of them will be married soon to a lady with two children of her own, the other’s partner also has two children. I didn’t expect to find myself a great grandmother at 73, but that’s the way it is.
We went through all the things you described. I never imagined my family would be so large, but I am not sorry in the least that I gave up a career in nursing to become a full time mom. It was the best career I could have chosen for myself and for my family.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the other moms out there. There is no more important job in the world than the one you have taken on.
Excellent
Our Pastor’s wife spoke this morning. It was the 1st time I ever heard a woman give the Mothers Day sermon. It was a treat for me but I’m sure my wife appreciated it much more. I say that because she has a shared experience with other mothers that no man can fully comprehend.
Good job moms.
Thank you, Menagerie. I always love all your posts, but I think your Mother’s Day posts might be my favorites.
I had to pause in the middle of reading this to go rescue the wipes warmer, remove a granola bar from tomorrow’s clothes, and fix hotdogs. I had to interrupt typing this to find our oldest son’s cup after it got hidden by our middle son. And now I’m being attacked by a purple balloon.
I wouldn’t change it for anything. (Most days. xD)
Happy Mother’s Day!
Thank you for writing and sharing this beautiful essay. Love does conquer all and matters far more than material wealth.
I am blessed with my husband, daughter, son in law and three wonderful granddaughters and even more importantly blessed with my spiritual mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
May God bless us today and every day.
Blessed Mothersday to all.
You are a true joy Menagerie. I pray that God will continue to richly bless you.
May God Bless all Mothers today and always.