Mother's Day/Anna's Baptism

This weekend was very exciting in our house!  It was my first Mother's Day and also Anna's Baptism!  Couldn't get any better than that! 

For the previous two years Mother's Day had been extremely rough.  It's not that I didn't want to celebrate mothers, it's that I wanted to be one so bad.  I cried pretty much the whole day last year and while I tried to hide it, I hurt.  We were just completing our Homestudy at that point and were getting ready for the indefinite wait time.  After almost two years of infertility, the last thing in the world I wanted was to wait.  I wrote a blog post about that day in my head over and over again and it was always too hard to actually get out.  Never did anyone acknowledge those who wanted to be a mother, but couldn't.

This year, the tables were turned.  It was joyous and wonderful.  However, there was a little bit of bittersweet in there too.  I remember what it was like to see new mothers rejoicing and it stung.  Again, it's not that I wasn't happy for them, but I also wanted it for myself.  So this year it hurt to know that others were still in that situation.  There are still people waiting to hear "Happy Mother's Day."  And to that I say, they're already mothers.  Something I've realized over the years is that motherhood isn't physical.  Yes, there is definitely a physical aspect to it (definitely, after changing 5 poopy diapers before 9am this morning...) and that's not to be downplayed.  However, motherhood is something bigger than the physical. 

A mother is someone who cares for others in a loving and selfless manner.  Sr. at the Newman Center always called me mama, even before Anna.  She did so because I was a spiritual mother to many RCIA candidates each and every year.  I hadn't thought about it that way until she pointed it out.  Some people are mothers in an emotional sense to others.  Some simply long to be a mother and have that desire written on their hearts from God.  All women are mothers in their own sense and I want to acknowledge all mothers, whether physical or now as one person in particular did to me last year.  She pointed out that I took care of so many children and was a mother figure to each and every one of them.  I thank her for appreciating that role.

So it's a little late, but Happy Mother's Day.  Whether you can hold your child or not, you're a mother and thank you for your sacrifice!  And a special Happy Mother's Day to my mom who was the best mom anyone could ask for and is now a fantastic grandma.  And to my mother-in-law for raising such a wonderful son and being a great nana to our Anna!  And especially to Anna's birthmom R, for loving her each and every day and giving her life, my heart ached for her on Sunday as well.

And congratulations to my sweet Anna on her Baptism!  She was absolutely beautiful and did a wonderful job!  We're so glad to finally have her be an official member of the Church and we look forward to watching her grow in her faith each and every day!  I don't have any pictures at the moment, they were taken by a friend, so when she gets them to me, I'll post some!