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As I celebrated Mother’s Day this year, I was blessed to have my wonderful Mom and three kids be part of my “motherhood.” I choked up a little bit when my sister-in-law said, “But I’m not a mother.” That hit me hard. This beautiful person spends every weekend caring for her elderly parents. Their Mother and Daughter’s role is reversed as her mom struggles with Alzheimer’s Disease. She is selfless, patient, and kind—all the necessary qualities of a mother. I started to think that this day should celebrate the mothers of our lives and the woman mentors.
I found an article on the ways women might be “mothering” in this life. Many women support each other through friendships and neighboring. How often has that dear friend shown up with a loaf of bread or a hot dish on a day you needed an extra lift? Or dropped a card in the mail for no reason other than to say hello, thinking about you. How about sisters spending time with siblings or checking in and being that “Cool Auntie” to nieces and nephews. That’s mother mentoring. And let’s celebrate the women providing childcare? A job that extends to mothering children of all ages, personalities, and temperaments. Our dear daycare “Mom” Terry still sends cards and care packages to my kids 20 years later. She will forever be a “Mom” to them and very important in their lives.
And I especially celebrate the moms of foster care kids and stepchildren. They are taking on these roles because they want to provide mother mentoring to all. Everyone deserves a mom to be there for them. To guide them, listen to them, and say, “You are important in this world.” There doesn’t need to be a blood bond to make this commitment. It is done with pure kindness and love.
I am blessed to have a mother. But I am also blessed to have had Aunties, Cousins, Sister-Cousins, Sister in Laws, Mother in laws, Grandmothers, Great Grandmothers, neighbors, and strong friends, beautiful women who have supported me my entire life, and I can’t thank them enough. Celebrate those women in your life and tell them how much they mean to you. Peace and Hugs, Sandy
“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it’ when things are tough.” Richard M. DeVos
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