When There’s No Honor in Mother’s Day
Have you had a Mother's Day that didn't exactly work out how you hoped?
Perhaps you’re feeling down this year because it doesn’t seem like Mother’s Day can be celebrated within the guidelines in your area. There won’t be any schoolmade Mother’s Day gifts for the kids to bring home or large family dinners. In my life, there are more sad Mother’s Days than happy ones. It is difficult to feel valued during those disappointments. Let’s figure out how to honor what God HAS given you instead of focusing on what’s missing.
I'm not even going to sugar coat it, Mother's Day is hard for me.
For over a decade, my ex couldn’t figure out how to make it something special. Other family members made sure that their motherhood was celebrated how they desired and my wishes were often dismissed. My mom survived a stroke almost 4 years ago and is no longer the same person she previously was. My mom not being available for me any longer is painful. Blended family adds strain to the equation where “mom” means different things to kids that I still consider to all be my kids. The list could go on for a very long time. If I am brutally honest, it is hard to have any type of positive anticipation about the approach of Mother’s Day. Many of us struggle with Mother’s Day in general for a host of different reasons.
Over the years I have figured out how to honor my own motherhood.
I think we can still find ways to look past the Pinterest pictures of generations of smiling faces and perfect decorations. Over the years I have figured out how to honor my own motherhood. I buy myself flowers to plant outside and hanging baskets so that every time I see them they bring me joy. If I am really lucky my kids help me plant them, which I love most of all. Decide now what you can do to make the day special, it doesn’t have to be elaborate. Maybe you sit and eat chocolate and look at old photos of better times. That actually sounds pretty good to me. Cherish the day, mabye cherish better days and pray for the future. If you have little kids go on Pinterest & find cute crafts you can do together to remember their little hand prints or footprints. Create an inexpensive memory that lasts a lifetime, both in your memory and as a keepsake.
Let's figure out how to find joy in a day that we may not celebrate how we had hoped, whether that's this year or every year.
I feel grateful for the opportunity to be a mom, even if I don’t always feel like I am doing any of it right. Even if your kids have walked out of your life, you got the opportunity to know what it is to be pregnant and/or guide them through some portion of life. Some women never get those gifts and most would do anthing to experience pregnancy or raise a child. We are blessed. God chose us to nurture the kids he put in our life. It doens’t matter if anyone else honors us because GOD DOES. We were chosen to mother the kids he blessed us with whether by birth, marriage, adoption, or foster. We have so much to be grateful for. God chose YOU for that child. That’s a lot to celebrate….even if you are the only one who is celebrating.
God chose YOU for that child. That's a lot to celebrate....even if you are the only one who is celebrating.
Proverbs 23:25
May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful!
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3 thoughts on “When There’s No Honor in Mother’s Day”
Thanks for this! After I had written my own post on this very same topic, I was feeling like maybe I was the only one who was kind of jaded and struggled with Mother’s Day. You’ve encouraged me that I’m not alone! https://reallthingsmom.com/reasonable-expectations-for-mothers-day/
We are definitely not alone. Thank you for writing on a really hard topic and taking the time to encourage others.
I really enjoyed the vulnerability in this blog as I know a lot of women who struggle with this day for various reasons and we need to know we matter a great deal especially to God.