Happy Mother's Day!

A priest friend of mine likes to tell the story of the first Mother's Day after he was ordained. At the end of Mass he wanted to wish all the mothers in the congregation a "Happy Mother's Day." He expressed his good wishes to all of the mothers, grandmothers, step-mothers, godmothers, and "all you other kinds of mothers." It took him a minute to realize his faux-pas when people began to snicker. Maybe he shouldn't have tried to be so inclusive!

Anyway, Mother's Day does have lots of dimensions to it.

On this day I am first of all thankful for my own beautiful, loving mother. She has sacrificed so much for me and my sisters. She lovingly and patiently supports us and walks with us through our own journeys of motherhood. She is my role model and my friend. I know that I am so blessed to have such a close relationship with her. We share our faith. We encourage one another. We laugh a lot together.

A little Mother's Day acrostic about my mom, Loretta:

Loves to sew
On the go
Really quite chic
Extra unique
Total cooking whiz
Tells it like it is
All that a mother should be!

Thank you Mom! I love you!

Next, of course, I am so thankful to be a mom to Adam and Ray. They are truly the center of my world. I love them more than I ever could have imagined I would. I learn and grow so much by spending each day with them. Being a mom is the greatest and hardest job. I pray every day for the grace, wisdom, energy, and patience to be the best mom God wants me to be.

I am also thanking God today for other women who have been mother figures in my life: my grandmothers (Mary Jo and Verna, who are now deceased), my godmother (my Aunt Janet, who passed away last year), my Mother-in-Law (who is wonderfully supportive of me), and several Dominican Sisters, teachers, and friends who have taught me about being a holy, healthy, happy woman and mom.

I have been privileged to meet and learn from so many wonderful moms in the past few years. May we continue to pray for, support, and encourage one another. May we resist the temptation to compare and judge ourselves and one another.

I also love sharing the journey of motherhood with my sisters and sisters-in-law!

I pray in a special way this weekend for women who are going through the pain of infertility, women who have miscarried and/or lost children, and all who grieve the passing of their own mothers.

Finally, I thank God for the gift of our Most Blessed Mother, our example and inspiration in this most holy vocation. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God.