A Mother’s Day Letter to Fill Your Heart with Love and Gratitude

Dear Moms,

The days feel as though they are getting shorter while the to do list is getting longer. The tiny hands that reached up for you to pick them up just keep getting bigger, and you’re starting to wonder how many more times they’ll reach out to hold your hand. Your babes are getting taller and stronger every day. At the same time that you find yourself needing to buy clothes for their growing bodies, you find yourself aching to see them little in the rompers they wore when they were younger, even if it was only a few short months ago. Their personalities develop more every day, and you sometimes stop and marvel at how smart they are. Seeing them in that moment as not just your child, but as a person with a soul, and thoughts, and ideas, and hopes, and dreams of their own. And it is your job and privilege to enrich that tiny person’s mind, body, and soul with careful thought and consideration so that when they are adults they will have been blessed by how you and your husband chose to raise them.

Then it hits you, you knew there would be different stages of parenting, you just didn’t realize how naturally they would happen seemingly without any effort at all. First you carry them, then you walk in front of them and lead them, next you walk beside them and guide them, and some day, you’ll walk behind them and only be there for support if they ask for it. At this point you realize, someday you will be reaching out to them, because in the midst of their busy adult lives, you will still want to be a part of them. Take heart Mom, you are doing a wonderful job, and though these moments of realization are difficult, they are a gift. They are a gift that gives you pause and makes you want to soak up all those precious moments of chaos because they won’t last for long. They allow you to see those sleepless nights as blessings, because you got to see your babies as babies for just a little bit longer. Someday we will walk behind our babies and we will watch them grow, and marry, and raise families of their own. Someday is not right now though. It may be soon, but that means you still have a little bit longer until you reach that point. If you have already reached that point, and your babes are grown and raising families of their own, pause and notice how amazing your children are. Those tiny babies grew to have tiny babies of their own and now you get to witness them nurturing their children’s minds, bodies, and souls.

A loving mother kisses her toddler in a baby carrier on a sandy beach, capturing a tender parenting moment.

Your love is unwavering and your children know it. Still, I encourage you to put down your phone or close your computer and look up. Look up at your children and into their eyes however old they may be. Have a meal with them or sit down to tea. You never know what will make the most lasting memories. It could be a normal family meal when something completely ridiculous happens, like getting a bit of food stuck in your teeth that makes you laugh until you cry. Which causes the whole family to laugh until they cry, and then everyone remembers this normal family dinner because of that one silly moment. That makes them remember how special all your family dinners were and thankful they happened nearly every night. The walk you choose to go on after dinner, or pausing to watch the sunset together will also be those simple special moments you might be remembered for.

You probably hear this all the time but, you’re doing a wonderful job. Make an effort to be present because these precious moments and silly memories are just some of the gifts of your labor. The belly laughs, sweet smiles, heads laid on your shoulder, hand holding, and reaching out to you calling you mommy with a big smile on their face, are what get you through the difficult times. All the work you’re doing and the memories you make will be worth it.

A mother dances with her twin daughters in a lively outdoor setting, enjoying a sunny day.

I know how overwhelmed you are. There might be a sink full of dirty dishes and a dishwasher full of clean, a table that needs wiping and a floor that needs vacuumed, dinner to be made, baths to be given, what feels like mountains of laundry calling your name, and your baby might be crying all the while. I encourage you to pause, take a breath, pick up your crying babe and gather your other children close, look them in the eye, and tell them you love them. Give them hugs and pray you never forget the feeling of them hugging you back while they’re still little. Listen closely when they tell you they love you too in their little voice. Notice the joy in their face when you take interest in something they’re excited to tell you about. Read a story to them, play a game together, blow bubbles, look for pictures in the clouds, draw with sidewalk chalk, kick a ball, sing silly songs, paint a picture, bake their favorite cookies, or teach them to make a favorite family recipe. I know everything feels more difficult because you are overwhelmed, I’m sorry. If I could reach over and give you a hug and tell you you’re doing a wonderful job, I would.

I encourage you to make a new note in your phone or keep a small notebook and pen nearby where you can write down a few of your favorite precious moments each day. You can make a note for each child and even one for your husband if you’d like, or keep them all in one place. These would undoubtedly make wonderful keepsakes printed nicely later, but right now they are for you. These precious moments in these notes are a beautiful snippet of the story of the life you work hard to create and cultivate daily. You are doing a wonderful job and I am grateful for you.

Your Friend,

Amanda