Mother's Day

What does Mother's Day mean to you? I mean truly, for those of us who are mothers, it might be described as a somewhat self indulgent holiday. If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that we are celebrating a day because we are mothers- because we gave birth (or adopted children or for whatever reason became a mother to someone). Mother's Day for me, however, is not about me, totally, although I do love the fact that I have been blessed by having children. Being a mother has made me more rooted in the world, and I'm not talking about "the world," but the total cosmos. It's like I have been given a foothold in what it really is to be a part of something bigger than myself. The birthing process itself was an out of this world experience for me- both times. With Caleb (and the epidural) I felt as if I was totally surrounded by angels and it was almost as if they were singing to me throughout the entire process. With Eli (and no epidural, just the support of my husband and awesome nurses), I felt as if I was part of some orchestral masterpiece not only written by God, but also completely directed by Him. I felt in that moment as if I was totally were I was supposed to be. Granted, the pain was there, but there was purpose and understanding and comfort throughout. A friend of mine, Brandy, who had undergone natural childbirth before me and with whom I had shared my desire to pursue natural childbirth, had encouraged me with the words, "Katie, I'm not going to tell you it doesn't hurt because it does; but as soon as the baby is out, the pain is gone." So I held to that and she was so right! Anyway, I might blog about that later when I post about Eli's 1st birthday, but for now, back to Mother's Day. Well, my mother's day celebration couldn't have started out more perfect. My sweet husband and son fixed me breakfast in bed- a rare, rare treat! And on top of it all, I was able to share it with my son (it was Fruit Loops by the way!). I also received some beautiful cards delivered to me while in bed. We did not make it to church that day, as my mother-in-law had passed the previous day and we were all kind of worn out from that, so we spent the morning together as a family which was nice. My mother then prepared lunch for all of her children and grandchildren who live within driving distance (yes, we missed you Uncle Seth!) and also my brother-in-law Russ. Now, this gets me to my point about mother's day- MY MOM. Here it was, Mother's Day, and of all the females in the family, she has birthed the most babies and yet she is preparing the meal! She had determined in her mind that since my sister-in-law and I both have little ones and my sister was driving from Kentucky and we have such a large crowd that eating out is a hassle (especially on a holiday like Mother's Day), that it just made more sense for her to prepare the meal. So, on a day when she could have focused on herself, she was doing what it is that makes her who she is- the loving and giving mother that she is- by doing for others. And what a lovely day we all had. The food was delicious as usual and the company of course the best you could ask for. So thank you mom, for defining what Mother's Day is to all of us. You are the best of the best!