[Me and the girls. An ordinary bedtime snuggle from a few years back.]
Today my friend Joan will celebrate her first Mother's Day. Her children have finally come home to be where they belong. In a week that has been [for me] full of challenging parenting, my thoughts turn to her with wonder over the joy she must be feeling with each new discovery.
Any way we come to it, being a mother is a calling to provide the best of yourself in unimaginable ways. Children rely on us -- flaws and all -- for practical, spiritual, and emotional well-being. Being a mother to me has been an utterly surprising awakening of strengths I didn't know that I possessed, and a revelation of weaknesses I'd rather put aside.
It's been far too long since I've had new photos of me with the kids. All I want today is a little carefree time to play around an open field, and Paul behind the lens for a change so that I might be a bigger part of the kids' photo memories. That and a strong spicy bloody mary.
Blessings to the Moms. I celebrate you. I celebrate with you.
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edit: celebrate frame, by Ali Edwards, for designer digitals.