4 years ago I wrote a post on my Facebook entitled the "Day After Mother's Day." I have often thought back about this post because I really do believe that it started me on my REAL Messy Mom journey. It was on that day after mother's day that I finally realized that all the of the expectations I had put on myself as a mother and all the exceptions that others had put on me were wearing me down. Why were household chores being tied to my motherhood? Why was food prep being tied to my motherhood? Why were my kids' apparel being tied to my motherhood? These questions along with a million others put me on a much healthier mental path while being a mother to my girls.
On that specific day four years ago I had a 1 year old and a 4 year. I literally had to strap the one year old to my chest in order to get caught up on everything that had gotten behind. Taking one day off as a mom means that you have to do at least two days of work the next day. I finally broke down and wrote a post about trying to find joy in all the things that I had to catch up on. Realizing that one day there will not be dishes in the sink after mother's day because my girls will be having dinner with their own families. Realizing that one day there will not be toys that are left on the stairs because toys will be gone from our house. Realizing that one day I can finish the laundry because only two people will be wearing clothes here. These things a million others make me now love the mess that my little girls make in our beautiful messy life.
Mother's day is messy for all kinds of reasons. The emotional mess of missing all the moms that are no longer with us. We long for one more special hug from all the wonderful women that were taken from us too soon and this day is just another reminder of that lost embrace. The devastating mess of all the women that are longing to be mothers. They long for a baby of their own to snuggle and this day is just another reminder that they don't have one yet. The complicated mess of moms not able to be with their babies. They long for togetherness and unity whether their babies are 5 or 50 and this day is just another reminder of the lost times with their loves. Mother's day comes with all kinds of mess but as a mom we are used to the mess.
Despite all the emotional and physical mess of mother's day there is so much beauty in it. My girls love any excuse to celebrate and when I am the center of their celebrations it can only be awesome. Embracing the mess that is made in my honor on this amazing day is one of my greatest joy. Who cares if it takes me a week to catch up, I am having too much fun. I get more hugs and kisses and love notes on mother's day than I do any other day of the year. Learning to love everything about mother's day has been an ongoing journey. However, now I see the beauty in the grief because it is a day that reminds me of all the wonderful mothers that have gone before me. I see beauty in the new moms after years of waiting they have finally been blessed with a child in one way or another. There is so much joy on Mother's Day that it usually eclipses the majority of the mess and sadness which helps all of us see the reason that we celebrate mothers. For those ladies that work extremely hard everyday, I think we can all spare 24 hours to show them how much we couldn't live without them. Thanks Mom!
No comments:
Post a Comment