Skip to main content

Mother's Day Emotions


Mother’s Day weekend is coming and I’m finding myself all sorts of emotional – go figure. I think the anticipation of how I might feel on my very first Mother’s Day after so many years of hoping, waiting, and wondering sort of made it a bit anticlimactic. Or maybe I guarded my heart a little and didn’t fully let the magnitude of my emotions wash over me. Regardless, I find myself MUCH more emotional this time around.

Last night we watched a TV show about children growing up and moving out etc…and I actually cried. All those jerks who told me how fast children grow and how quickly the time moves…were right. Of course I feel how swiftly time moves the older I get…I blinked and now I’m in my (gulp) 40’s. But I simply could not have fathomed how I would feel about the amount of time I have to be Ethan’s mother. It feels finite. Fleeting. Just not enough.

Don’t get me wrong, I love watching Ethan grow! He is learning and changing and cracking me up all the time. He loves climbing, and running, and YELLING, and snuggling. He is happy (and dramatic when’s not) playful and just plain hilarious. But I can’t believe he’s going to be 2 years old in a few months. I can’t believe that it has been nearly 2 years since we got the call that would forever change our lives. SO many amazing memories wrapped up in these 2 years. Ethan has such a story to tell. So much love, excitement, anticipation, and loss. Of course, I’m so very aware that my greatest joy started with heartbreak for Ethan’s birthmother. I look at this blue eyed, blond haired sweet heart and I still can’t believe I GET to be his mother…that I was CHOSEN to be his mother. That I AM a mother. I’ve been living it for nearly 2 years now, and I still find it strange to say ‘my son’. I have a son. A beautiful, beautiful son.
How is it possible? How can it be? I spent so many years wondering what it would be like, hoping someday I would know the joy of motherhood, longing to hold a child of my own, wishing for Mother’s Day to bring me happiness rather than sadness. And now, I’m a mother. Finally…and always. It is so much more than I could have imagined. So much harder, and better, and different than I could have fathomed.

For me Mother’s Day will always bring a mix of emotions. I am so grateful for my own mother, grandmothers, aunts and women who’ve mothered me over the years. I am blessed beyond measure to finally be a mother myself to the sweetest little boy. But I will always pause to think of his birthmother and the sacrifice she made for him…and the amazing gift she has given me. I am a mother because of her. I could never fully express to her, to anyone, how that makes me feel.

And this week, as we prepare to celebrate the mothers in our lives, it makes me super emotional. So if you wish me a Happy Mother’s Day and I smile through tears – just know that I’m thankful…so very thankful…

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WE'RE ADOPTING!!

Bah! I said it…er wrote it…out loud. There it is, in black and white for the world to see. (Pause for a drink and a breath) Matt and I are in the very early stages of planning to adopt. We have had a few meetings with an adoption agency, we are gathering the necessary information, and we are making plans to get this ball officially rolling SOON. It has been a very long and winding road to get us to this point, and honestly I never thought we’d get here. Adoption isn’t what we started out hoping for. It isn’t where we thought we’d end up. But here we are – gearing up for what will surely be a life-changing experience for us with hearts full of hope and excitement. The topic of adoption has come up in the past, but we quickly dismissed it for one reason or another. Matt and I have had our fair share of insecurities about whether or not adoption would be a good option for us. Who would look at our family profile and pick us?? It was a burning question that we probably still have ...
5 comments
Read more

I may as well tell you...

I had a miscarriage. I’ve debated for weeks whether or not to acknowledge it publicly. It’s such a personal thing…and this is such a public medium. But a few months have gone by and I’m no closer to feeling ok about it and truly nothing else on my mind really compares, so here I am, letting the world in on my secret. Over the past few weeks I’ve found very little comfort in the fact that only a small handful of people know about the miscarriage. It became nearly unbearable this week, during all our wonderful family Christmas celebrations. Being surrounded by so many people who love me and support me and have no idea how my heart has been broken – it’s a lonely place to be. Not that I would want them all to bombard me with pity or questions or sad looks in their eyes – I realize I can’t have it both ways. But a little acknowledgement goes a long way and I simply can’t ignore or deny the fact that something major happened in my life and impacted me, impacts me still.   It was a ...
4 comments
Read more

A Glimpse Into Open Adoption

If you had been a customer of the Longhorn Steakhouse on Highway 19 in Palm Harbor, FL last Sunday night, you may have seen two couples walking through the restaurant, oogling a sweet baby boy on the way to their table. You may have commented on how cute he was. You may have thought he looked a lot like the woman carrying him. You may have wondered about the man in the wheelchair. But you likely would not have assumed you’d be witnessing this baby’s biological parents sit down to dine with his adoptive parents. It’s a scene I’ve been playing over and over in my mind as I recount the wonderful experiences of our trip to Florida. The magnitude of that moment, that evening, will never be lost on me. It was incredible to be a part of – and I’m so very grateful we had it. We had met up with Ethan’s birthmother, L, earlier in the day. She hadn’t seen him since he was a few hours old and was anxiously waiting for us outside a local mall. As soon as we saw each other the tears welled up in o...
3 comments
Read more