When Does Motherhood Begin?

Mother's Day is just a few short days away and that got me thinking...

This will be my sixth Mother's Day as a mommy myself.

Unless, of course, you count the Mother's Day of 2004 when I was already pregnant with my first child...

Or do I count back to when that mother's heart first started its tender beat inside my chest as we hoped and prayed and tried for a child starting well before the Mother's Day of 2003?

What about all those women still on their journey of hope as they await that first child?

Or the women who've tragically lost sweet babies to miscarriage?

How about those mothers whose future children do not even know them yet as they wait somewhere in other countries, not even realizing how deeply a mother yearns for them here?

Was it that final push at 8:05 in the morning that made me a mother or something more...?

Happy Mother's Day to all of you women...

...those of you whose children are grown and on their own.

...those of you whose 'tweens and teens are starting to get taller than you.

...those of you chasing toddlers and preschoolers.

...those of you snuggling your newborns and infants.

...those of you relishing those two pink lines and those flutters and kicks.

...those of you praying for healing after a loss or losses.

...those of you hoping to someday, some way, welcome a child into your home and your heart.

From this mother's heart to yours...

Have a happy, blessed Mother's Day.