Thankful Thursdays

For motherhood. As we get ready to celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday, I thank God for mine. For this powerhouse of a woman and everything she’s taught me. For her example of strength and faith, and unconditional love. And I thank God for, hands down, the most amazing gift I’ve ever received and will ever receive: Lauren and Daniel.

I leave you with a little piece I wrote a few years ago about being their mom:

                                              E-Ticket, Please
Of all the blessings the good Lord has showered upon me, I would have to say motherhood tops the list, hands down. What a ride!

The fears and anxieties, the illnesses, the surgeries, the pain, the worrying and sleepless nights, the anger, the attitudes, the expectations, the failures, disappointments, and frustrations… all intertwined with the joy, the excitement, the achievements, the celebrations, the humor and the fun, the touching, the sharing, the loving and the caring… I could go on and on…. Sometimes making me want to speed up time, sometimes making me want to slow it down. Phew!!

Yes, it is exhausting. Through the trials, tribulations and triumphs of motherhood, I have experienced things and felt emotions on a level I cannot possibly explain to you. Except I can tell you that I would not trade any of it. I cannot envision, nor do I want to, life without my children. Come what may. And I know this is a life-time thing. I know this because my mother is still at it with me. I cannot thank God enough for that. For that and for this blessing He has bestowed upon me. May He always catch me with my seatbelt on tight while on this, my E-ticket ride.

I want to wish all the moms, grandmas, aunts, and godmothers a very happy Mother’s Day today and always. To my dearest friends, some moms, some not, thank you for always looking at my many pictures, listening to my stories, concerns and worries, and walking along with me through this motherhood journey.
[first posted 5/8/09; published 2013 in Scenes Everlasting and Other Essays]

Happy Mother’s Day!  What are you thankful for today?

“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.”
 -Robert Browning

“(24/7) once you sign on to be a mother, that’s the only shift they offer.”
-Jodi Picoult