An Ode to Mothers

This Mother’s Day I’m feeling a little reflective. My children are entering the teen years, so gone are the days of homemade cards and handprint art. Being a mom during this stage carries with it a different weight - more sleep for sure, but also more worry. And as I look ahead down the road of motherhood, I can see only twists and turns; never the end. Because for all of my days I will carry this title. Mom. So here is my ode to all you people out there fulfilling this role in another person’s life, no matter what your individual title is.

An Ode to Mothers

Here is to the first voice. The first kiss. The first home.

Here are to magic kisses that heal all boo boos. An always present shoulder that absorbs all tears. A heart that carries the worries of the world, yet never reaches capacity.

Here is to the resolute. The always there. The forever person that will be in your corner.

Here are to the people that carry the heavy weight of sleepyheads to their beds at night. And that carry the invisible load of schedules, appointments, and emotional work.

Here are to countless baskets of laundry folded, sippy cups washed, and the endless sweep of toys off of floors and into bins.

Here is to the never-ending list of worries and what-ifs. And the ability to ease them in the little minds we love so much.

Here are to the story books forever memorized. Always knowing the favorite shirt or the best friend. To being the person that holds the secrets.

Here is to the one who is all things and all roles and always on. Who wears all the hats. And holds all the titles - mom, wife, daughter, friend.

Here is to love that never wavers, yet grows and changes with each passing year.

Here is to strength that never breaks but only bends. To soft, warm arms that wrap around little bodies. And hard outside shells that keep the outside world at bay.

To the mothers - to their strength, their stalwartness, their love.

Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day.