The Wide Spectrum of Mothering - Amy Young, Messy Middle

I have to reprint this article every Mother's Day...it's just that good!                                                      It's by Amy Young from her blog the Messy Middle...

To those who gave birth this year to their first child - we celebrate you
To those who lost a child this year - we mourn with you
To those of you who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the bade of food stains - we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running way - we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment - we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don't mean to make this harder than it is
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms - we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children - we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heartache, and distance from your children - we sit with you
To those who lost their mothers this year - we grieve with you
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother - we acknowledge your hurt
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overwhelming testing of motherhood - we are better for having you in our midst
To those who have aborted children - we remember them and you on this day
To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children - we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be
To those who step-parent, we walk with you on these complex paths
To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren, yet that dream is not to be - we grieve with you
To those who will have emptier nests this coming year - we grieve and rejoice with you
To those who placed children up for adoption - we commend your for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expecting and surprising - we anticipate with you
This Mother's Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.
Happy Mother's Day!