Mother’s Day Message 2024

Our family loves to welcome new babies into the world. After the baby’s first night home, we all want to know how that night went. As all of us “older” moms suspect the night was a little challenging—a huge departure from the previous nights the young couple may have spent with no children to care for. Dirty diapers, feeding, crying, walking, rocking and dirty diapers, feeding, crying, walking, and rocking seemed to rule the night.

But, as a mom, you’re not surprised by that at all. Even if you haven’t had a baby in your home for thirty years, you can remember this scenario like it was yesterday.

For many good reasons, a new mom has no idea what lies before her. Sometimes ignorance is bliss! As I look back over my “mom” career, I see so many things I did right and so many things I did wrong. Many have said this, but I’ll say it again, babies don’t come with instructions. While we can learn from other mothers and read books by famous authors, each new day with a child is like opening a new deck of cards—slippery, hard to manage, and quickly gets out of order.

So, Mother’s Day is for all the moms who have spent the night crowded in a twin bed while they comforted a sick child; for every mom who skipped something they had planned because a child suddenly remembered they were to bring brownies to school the next day; for every mom who anxiously stayed up until their teen came home from that important first date; for the mom who had never even seen a soccer ball, but volunteered to coach eleven first graders down a soccer field (that was me!); for the mom who worked two jobs to keep food on the table; and for the moms who haven’t had a good night’s sleep since their blissful college days many years ago.

I want to say thank you to all you moms who put your “mom” job as number one! That doesn’t mean you don’t divide your time a hundred ways, it just means you know what’s really important. You know that at the end of the day raising healthy, happy children who will one day be kind, respectful and responsible adults is a job worth fighting for.

There have been calculations done to put a price on a mother’s job, but being a mom isn’t dependent on the money you make, it’s dependent on the love you give and receive. My mother used to use the expression “It’s a labor of love” when she would volunteer her time to help someone in need. That’s what being a mother is all about—it’s a labor of love. From the time we truly “labor” to deliver our babies, we “labor” in love to feed, clothe, and nurture our children.

Moms, keep up the great work. Know that your children will grow up to reflect what you have instilled in them. They won’t be perfect, but neither are you and neither am I. I’m just a mom who did the very best I could do and so are you!

Happy Mother’s Day to a group of outstanding moms!
Hugs, Chrys