Today is Mother’s Day.

We celebrate mother’s everywhere… well most of us do. Some of us aren’t as fortunate to have or have had a wonderful mother.

My own mom and I don’t always see eye to eye, in fact there are times I am sure she wonders how she gave birth to someone like me. However I do know without a doubt that she does love me. And I love her so very much.

Now that I am a mother myself I understand better all of the sacrifices she made to make my brother and I happy. It isn’t like she had to make these sacrifices but that she chose to.

I have so many friends that are also mothers.

I have many who want to be mothers but can’t for medical reasons.

I am here to tell you a little secret. There are so many definitions of what a mother truly is. Some women give birth but they chose to not be around their children. Some give their children up for adoption because they had no other options. Then there are the countless who raise other people’s children, both human and animal, who are so mother-esque that I feel they should be celebrated.

As someone who once struggled with infertility, I know the heartache of having a mother’s day come and to have empty arms. Or maybe a child is no longer here. It doesn’t make someone less than a mother. I have a friend whose son died. She had no other children. She is still a mother even though her son died. I have another friend who is a foster mom. She does not have “biological” children, yet she is a mom in every sense of the word.

Someone doesn’t have to “just give birth” to be a mother. Not everyone who produces a child is a mother… I have seen those who chose to give birth, even be there but do more harm than good. Some have even said they weren’t meant to be a mother.

A mother is someone who makes the choice to BE a mother. Be it mom, step-mom, aunt, god-mother or grandmother there is a choice to accept the awesome responsibility of being a mom.

For that I thank you for choosing to stick around and stay to make another life better and loving unconditionally. Even on the bad days!

Celebrate those mothers in your life today!

Have a beautiful day!

Keep hope alive!!