This morning, I was awakened (in tears) at a ridiculously early hour by a nightmare that my middle child flung herself off of an impossibly tall balcony to her doom. What a way to begin a mother’s day.
Truthfully, I don’t have many words for today, but I still echo what I posted last year. Essentially, I remain a mixed bag of emotions when it comes to today’s holiday. I celebrate all God has blessed me with in a mother and three crazyawesome children, but I also recognize those whose wounds are reopened on a day like today. Along these lines and on a deeply personal note, I loved the way Jody Landers put my thoughts into words:
“A child born to another woman calls me ‘mommy’. The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege are not lost on me this weekend.”
Yes. So true.
Other people who said it far better than I ever could:
- Happy Daughter’s Day: My current favorite author, Elyse Fitzpatrick, describes mother’s day as this… “It’s the one day we’re told over and over that our identity as women is not rooted in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, but in our own ability to be the source of life and goodness for all, when we judge whether we’re finally OK based on the response of others rather than by the gospel of grace… Whatever happens this Sunday remember this: You are loved. You are forgiven. You are righteous. Not because of anything you can do, but only because of what Jesus has already done.”
- An open letter to pastors: I like this. How can we “honor mothers without alienating others”?
- On a different note, I found this news incredibly humbling this week. The Democratic Republic of Congo has just been rated the worst place in the world to be a mother. The report that prompted this ranking found that a woman “has a one in 30 chance of dying from maternal causes — including childbirth.” This isn’t anything new. I was already well-aware of the dangers women in DRC face on a daily basis. And yet, I am left broken for Elizabeth’s birth family all over again.
- And finally, for those of you who have yet to see this gem, check it out. Now.