Happy Mom's Day!

Today was Mother's Day. And in keeping with the theme of the weekend, mine was totally filled with motherhood-related activities. First off, I traveled this weekend to my hometown of Frankenmuth. My sister (whose first baby is expected to arrive in July!!!) had her baby shower on Saturday - which was an absolute success. Added bonus: many of the shower guests were close family/friends of mine who had not yet had a chance to see baby Sol in person, so this weekend she was FINALLY able to meet some of our nearest and dearest. I got to spend some good QT with some of my favorites this weekend, including (but not limited to) my sisters (one of whom is a momma-to-be), my mom, both grandmas, aunts, cousins, and dear friends (one of whom is ALSO expecting a baby in July!!).  Today (Sunday) my entire family went out to lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant (a Mother's Day tradition in our family for 20+ years). Amid the rice, tea, sesame tofu, and wontons, there was an abundance of joy at our table.

Beautiful things are happening in my family and circle of friends; that's for sure. And beautiful things are happening right at home. My daughter is getting bigger, more gorgeous, and changing in amazing ways every day. People who haven't seen her in a couple months remarked that "she's twice as big as she was the last time!!" And looking back at photos, she certainly has changed a lot. And while she's changing so much, she's still the same perfect little individual that I met on a Thursday 3 months ago. And today I got to celebrate the fact that I brought that perfect little individual into the world. And it's indeed something to celebrate.

Don't get me wrong: parenting can be FRUST-RAT-ING. And I often find my mind wandering, wondering if I made the right decision.

But it's on nights like tonight, quiet nights together, where she's dozing off in my arms, eyes fluttering and half-smiles surfacing every few seconds, when I realize that everything is as it should be. I gaze down at the little girl who belongs to me, whose perfectly formed hand grasps my finger as she lies safely in my arms, and I know that our world is just right. I may not make all the right choices, and she may drive me up the wall at times when she just-won't-stop-crying, but we are mother and daughter. We are one heart in two bodies. We are complete. No human will ever know perfect love until he or she experiences the love that comes with parenthood.

Of course, as we all know, there are parents who don't care to be parents, or who are able to walk away without acknowledging their children. And while we may not understand their choices, all we can do is hope that they find some sort of solace in what must be a hellish life. But for those of you who are able to look at your children on Mother's Day or Father's Day and realize what a blessing you have in them, you can count yourselves the luckiest people on earth.

Today I'm grateful for all the moms I know: the mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers, aunts and sisters and friends... thank you for being you. To all the moms who have been taken from us (my thoughts and prayers go out especially to the family of Jenny Webb and Braxton), you are loved and missed and will not be forgotten. Mothers are arguably the most important people on earth. Without mothers, where would we be?

I feel like my story in particular is proof that all you need is motherly love. It was motherly love that brought Solaya into the world, and it's motherly love that gets us from one day to the next. Happy Mother's Day to all you fabulous moms out there. I hope you all felt as much love as I did today. Being a mom is an amazing thing, and it's certainly a reason to celebrate.