Happy Mother's Day...Really?

Oftentimes significant days of the year are not so pleasant for many people and this includes Mother’s Day…

I don’t think I’m being dramatic or stereotypical when I say we all have an idea of how special days should go ~ just how that idea has developed in our minds or even if it is right or wrong, in my opinion doesn’t discount the very REAL fact that it is there!

On Mother’s Day we all want the bouquet of flowers, the smelly cheap perfume, a handmade card from the little-ones and the breakfast in bed…this includes many women who may not have children of their own for whatever reason, and the ones whose children are too young and are single…

So today I want to say to you, regardless of who you are and whether or not you have children under your roof today…if you are a woman who:

Loves someone unconditionally from their birth or from when you met them…

Is someone who puts a kid or friend before herself and is the one they can always count on above everyone else….

Is a woman who listens, and just telling her your problems makes you feel better…

Is a woman who even if you fight, you know that she's just looking out for your best interests…

Contributes significantly to other’s lives in their care and wellbeing…

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY…

All of the above statements are taken from definitions of a mother/mothering!

Yet, perhaps you’re a woman who has no child to hug today.

Perhaps you’ve tried for so long yet still not conceived.

Perhaps you’re single.

Perhaps you’ve lost a child or aborted one.

For whatever reason, please don’t think you’re alone…I’m praying for you.

I know what it’s like to lose a child.  I had an ectopic pregnancy in 1997 and a miscarriage at home in 2001.  They were both very difficult experiences for me and I believe both these children of mine are in heaven with God and I will meet them again one day.

I also know what it’s like to be a single mother on Mother’s Day and to have very little money to treat myself when I see other women being spoilt by their husband and kids.

I know what it’s like to hear people say things like, “Oh you do such a good job on your own…you’ve got your hands full…you have to be both Mum and Dad now!”

To experience the wide stepping-away from many who don’t want to help me out with the raising of my children.

Yet I choose to continue to pray, asking Jesus to meet my needs and He does.

I choose to rejoice in the joy I see on my friend’s faces and be happy that they have a decent husband who loves them…decent blokes can be rare!

I choose to simply let myself sleep in, enjoy a soak in the bath and eat the breakfast my boys serve me with a smile on my face.

I choose to say Happy Mother’s Day to my friends who may not have kids of their own in a technical sense, yet love as a daughter and sister and other kids like their own…for it is LOVE that truly makes a woman special and deserve to enjoy a day like today!

For those of you having an awesome day today…I am rejoicing with you, as we all need days of sunshine…but if I can ask one thing of you, don’t forget your female friends today who may be feeling a little left out and remind them that you love them.

For all of us, let's remember when we love like a mother, daughter or sister…really that’s all that counts.

If you’re grieving the loss of a child or your own Mum, I’m praying for you.

Be kind to yourself…tell Jesus about it…take some time out with Him…light a candle in their memory.

To finish, let’s spare a thought today for the kids being raised by courageous Dad’s without their Mum…why not take a moment to pray for these families on a day like today!

In His love, Melanie.