Mothers
The Peek Perspective on the Complex Journey of Motherhood
Each woman's journey into motherhood is deeply personal and completely unique. Some enter into it without intention, while others long to become a mother and yet grieve the heartache of infertility. Some must wait for years to be matched with their forever child, and still others receive the blessing of motherhood naturally and expectantly. Today, I honor three women, whose unique stories are woven into my own journey to motherhood...
She was young and in love. Engaged and planning to spend forever together.... until she became pregnant before the wedding. This simply wasn't acceptable in her family, or even in his. No, this could not happen, would not happen. He walked away. Her family pressured her to end it all. But despite her world crumbling around her, she somehow found the strength to nurture that tiny life inside her for 40 weeks, enduring the stares and whispers, perhaps being disowned by her own family. She birthed that perfect baby boy, and then she gave him away before he even had a name, never to see him again.
Does she spend every Mother's Day wondering where her baby boy is? Does she worry about him and wonder if he is okay, if he is happy? I wish I could somehow reassure her that he is. I wish I could thank her for her bravery and for making the best decision she could, against all odds. She chose to honor God's will for that baby's life, and she would be so proud if she only knew the way her baby boy is living out his calling. That baby boy is now a loving husband and present dad, PharmD & vice president of his company, preschool Sunday School teacher and volunteer football coach. All because she said Yes to his life, when everything around her said no…
Another woman prayed for years, longing for a child to call her own. She and her husband waited. And waited. But nothing happened. So they filled out the paperwork. And waited. And waited. Finally, she got the call - she was finally going to be a mother! They drove to meet their brand new baby boy, and she was thrust into the new world of motherhood within a matter of days. Days turned into weeks, months, and years...and she was the parent she'd always dreamed of being. But now she was doing it alone. A single mother working long days, studying long nights, and ushering her sons through boyhood; she was determined to reach her own goals while also empowering her children. She battled cancer and lost her hair, but she never lost her determination, and she never missed a game.
I honor my mother-in-law for her dignity and strength. She claimed that baby boy as her own and never looked back. She has loved him fiercely through happy years and heartbreaking years, and she stood strong despite the pain. Her loyalty and sense of humor have set the course for generations to come, and we are grateful for the way she loves her family. She has seen him thrive and break family cycles, and she made it all possible when she said yes to him.
She was a small town girl with big dreams. She married her high school sweetheart and after seven years of marriage, started a family of her own. She gave her daughters a simple and wonderful childhood, teaching them to dream creatively, explore vastly, and to love deeply. She was more than a mother to 2 girls; she also mothered hundreds of children as she challenged them to run further than they ever imagined, climb higher than they ever thought possible, and find a sense of self-worth by seeing their "true colors." She was a coach, a teacher, and mentor. She even mothered her own elderly parents through their most fragile years.
I am grateful to my own mother for the way she has lived her life, setting an example of integrity and compassion. She loves us well and carries on a legacy of faith and family. She brings hope and encouragement wherever she goes, and she is a pillar of strength and beauty. She is more than my mother, she is my close friend and loving Mimi to my own daughters. Life with her is truly a gift as I’ve navigated my own motherhood journey, and I’m grateful to call her my Mom.
As I celebrate Mother's Day, I honor these women who literally made my own journey to motherhood possible! And I think of so many of you whose story may reflect one of the above… as some of you face impossible decisions about an unexpected or unhealthy pregnancy, or some of you who have spent years longing to be called a mother, or some of you who currently enjoy the realities and challenges of motherhood… I see you and I honor you today.
Cheers to women everywhere who have taken on the role of mother in any shape or form!
-A grateful mom (and daughter)