Happy Mother's Day

I can't let Mother's Day go by this year without posting.  My perspective on mothers has changed drastically in the last year and mostly, I've grown to further respect and love the mothers I am blessed to know and have in my life.  First off, my mom is amazing.  She's such a wonderful friend to me and there is no end to her generosity.  She always listens to me, is the first to offer a hand, and shares in every joy and pain that I feel.  I am so blessed to have her in my life and thank God for her every day.

I also think of my birth mother.  For those of you who don't know, I was adopted as an infant.  My parents got me on Good Friday, when I was 11 days old.  After having 3 children, I further respect the difficult and loving decision she made to give me up for adoption.  I do hope that I'll get to meet her some day and let her know myself how much I love her for the love she had for me at such a young age.

I have met many amazing moms in the past year.  The therapy center Josh gets his OT, PT and speech services special needs children.  It is hard sometimes to see the kids who come in there, each with a parent trying to get help for their child, the majority pushing smiles through the difficulties they are overcoming raising a child with special needs.  I am inspired by so many and am a better person for meeting many amazing moms in addition to those I have had by my side for years.

Lastly, and certainly not least, I have grown in love for our Blessed Mother, Mary. As a Catholic, we ask the saints in heaven to pray for us. We read about and celebrate the lives of numerous saints who faced challenges in life, just as we do, and they perservered in faith. Danny has told the kids that the difference between saints and sinners is that when saints fall down, they get back up again. My devotion to Mary has certainly changed in the past year. In praying the rosary, I've always reflected on the life of Jesus in the mysteries of the rosary, but in the last year, I grew to see the life of Jesus through the eyes of Mary. She of all people knows how it hurts to watch your son be hurt unjustly, suffer, and feel helpless. When Josh used to be awake in pain during the night, I know her prayers were with me to help me see compassion for his pain before frustration about my lack of sleep. Who better to pray for us than the mother of Jesus who is in heaven with Him. I look to her for strength through prayer and her loving example of what true motherly love should look like.

Today, I pray for the moms I have known and loved for years and the moms I have met and their stories have stayed with me:

• For the moms who make each evening and weekend special time, after working a full day.
• For the moms who lovingly gave up their children for adoption.
• For the moms raising four children, with a joyful smile, making it look easy.
• For the moms who have been down the autism path before me, who gave their time and effort to make our journey easier.
• For the mom whose 3-year-old son overcame cancer, but suffers from developmental delays due to complications during chemotherapy.  He is currently wheelchair bound.
• For the mom with 3-year-old twins, a boy and a girl.  The girl is working on crawling, eating and talking and wears glasses and a hearing aid.  I have never met a mom with such kindness and joy while enduring such difficulty.
• For the mom with 3-year-old twins who delivered prematurely and both have undergone multiple surgeries on their heart and brain.  The boy suffers from down's.
• For the mom of a 3-year-old boy with cerebral palsy.  He brings me joy each week he comes in for occupational therapy.  His mom was told he would never walk, and he walks in each week with a big smile and his mom always says, "God is good."
• For the mom of a sweet 3-year-old girl who is learning to use her new wheelchair.  They visit me and Kate each week on their way out of therapy.
• For the mom of a 9-year-old boy who takes him in for therapy each week.  She is so kind and compassionate as they visit together in the waiting room.
• For the mom worrying about who will care for her adult child after she passes away.
• For the moms who are always looking for fun adventures to spend quality time with their kids.
• For my college friends who lost their 4th child in her second surgery after birth.  She beautifully prepared herself and family to raise a child with spina bifida.  I could never imagine burying my child, but she and her husband showed strength in faith.
• For the many autism moms and children with special needsI have met, who are giving of themselves and their lives to help their child.
• For the moms I get out with for pedicures or dinners, and the love, support and laughter we share.
• For all moms who give all they can each day out of love for their children

Happy Mother's Day!