Is it just Motherhood or is it Womanhood we celebrate?

This poem is one I shared last year - but here we are again - and I felt compelled to share it again  If you're like me - then MUCH has changed in a year.  [How is it also possible that so much stays the same?]

We are all another year older and hopefully wiser.  We celebrate new joys and triumphs, along with new scars and pain that the last year has brought our way.

This year's Mother's Day will different for me than others.  In year's past I've been the odd girl out - the one happily married for years but still childless.  I gladly celebrated with the moms in my midst while secretly feeling terribly awkward and wondering a little about this mysterious world of motherhood I was seemingly "missing out on".

This year will be different because I'm still mourning the loss of the little one we didn't get to meet.  Many plans were made in preparation for the little life that would take our family of 2 to 3 and yet, as quickly as those plans unfolded, the name brainstorming, the heartbeat once heard - it all slipped away so suddenly.  In a matter of hours while others were home sleeping, the little life once inside of me, suddenly was no longer.  This year as other mothers hug their little ones close, I'll wonder if mine was a boy or girl, and what would he/she have looked like.  Would they have had blue eyes like me?  Would they have liked sports, or animals, or music?  The awe and wonder of what might have been still lingers and with it the realization of loss comes flooding back.

The older I get, the more I realize motherhood isn't about those who are currently mothers - though we celebrate with them.  This day of honor has evolved in my mind to include Women in general.  We come from so many facets of life with so much to offer and whether we have children you can see or not...we all have worth and something to offer...something to celebrate.

This poem touches on many types of women in various chapters of life I hope you will feel encouraged by some part or piece of it.  The link provided is a PDF version you can download and share.

Motherhood - A Work of Art

Motherhood – A Work of Art
By Lenay Marteney ~ 2015

To the mom with little children, you are their whole world.  You have a big job, often thankless, but never dull! Enjoy these early years for way too soon they’re gone.  And pray that God would grant you strength when nights are short and days are long.  There are diapers, and tantrums…skinned knees and elbows…but keep raising those babies up in the way that they should go.

To the mom with teenagers, hold steady, for this too shall pass.  They’ll be gone to college, then with kids of their own – it happens just that fast.  Be an example of one who loves the Lord, and show them what it means to seek and trust in God’s word.  Inspire them to be the change in the world they want to see, and challenge them to pursue all that God has called them to be.

To the mom who has a child with extra challenges and special needs; God picked you out on purpose, he must have known your strength.   You know the strain of motherhood in a completely different way, but would you give it up or change it, even for one day?  A mother’s heart loves just one way…it only loves completely, it aches and triumphs just the same, no matter the disability.

To the mom who’s lost a child, with you we ache and grieve.  There are days when you must feel, the pain will never leave.  And in fact it might not, yet you strive to press on, for simply having is a blessing, no matter for how long.  Knowing your child is in a heavenly place, is a reminder to all, of God’s goodness and grace.

To the woman who longs to, yet has not conceived…you are not defined by infertility.  Despite months of trying, perhaps years of feeling empty, do not think that a mom you can never be. Bearing a child of your own is not the only way, you can love, nurture, and guide those in your midst every day.  God is in control though you may not understand, trust in Him, He knows your heart and He holds the master plan.

To the mom who’s older now, with kids who are all grown, perhaps they’re very busy, being parents to their own.   So much wisdom and advice about parenting you could share, but you know most of all, your kids still need your prayer.  Though it changes over time, a mother’s job is never done, to teach and mold and point the way to Christ, the Saving One.

To women of all ages, with children or without, how many, if any, or what age, is not what Mother’s Day’s about.  God created each and every one of us unique, all beautiful, all gifted, with different weaknesses and strengths.  Motherhood’s more than physical, it’s an attitude of the heart, to bloom where e’er God plants you, you are His work of art.