We all have a mom.  It’s one of those physiological things that cannot be denied.  If we’re here, someone birthed us.  That physical process is the first act of love we experience as little humans.  Regardless of what happens after our birth day, someone loved us enough to go through the pain to give us life – our first mom-ent. From that point, all of our journeys differ.  Most of us grew up with our biological mothers, others moved on to bonus moms, women who stood in the gap and nurtured us through our childhood.

If you were raised by your biological or a bonus momma, you have experienced mom-ents.  It’s those special memories that stick with us for a lifetime. My mother’s smile, it was the best.  Her quiet demeanor always had people drawing closer to her. Our shared delight for bargain hunting and our love of textiles gave us memorable quality time together.  There’s also those mom-ents not tied to a lovely memory but a heart wrenching remembrance of anger, reprimand or correction.  Though they were painful at the time, those instances helped mold and shape me into the woman I am today.  Occasionally, I relive the hurtful reactions I had or my unkind responses thoughtlessly spoken at the time.  But I know my momma loved me regardless of my words or adolescent battles and onward through my successes and failures as an adult.  I am confident in that more than ever, now having raised my own child and experiencing those same mom-ents from a mom’s perspective.

As moms, we second guess our strength, we doubt our effectiveness and we cringe at the choices we sometimes face – tough love can be painful both in the giving and receiving.  We are masters of communication with words and hugs. Our creativity and ingenuity is matched by none. We have perseverance, fierce love and endurance for the long haul.  Sometimes, we get it wrong, but our role is undeniably tough, so forgiveness is key.  Perception of our performance may be skewed by the closest people to us.  We love regardless.  Unconditional love is part of the mom DNA.

Celebrating Mother’s Day brings reflection on our journey as children experiencing mom-ents with the one who poured into our formative years. Honoring the women who nurture, love and play alongside us tirelessly, each with their own unique style of parenting, goes far beyond one day.  Those of us who have taken on the role of mother, understand even more deeply, the effort, unending commitment and immeasurable joy of mom-ents. Let’s continue to lift up moms and bonus moms with our outpouring of love, prayers and positive encouragement daily.  It’s a small gesture with great impact.