Poem for Mother’s Day

Beyond the Surface of Mothering by Amy Young
To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you.
To those who lost a child. – we mourn with you.
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food
stains – we appreciate you.
To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—
we mourn with you.
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and
disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t
mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you.
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with
you.
To those who have disappointment, heartache, and distance with your children – we sit
with you.
To those who lost their mothers. – we grieve with you.
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your
experience.
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of
motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst.
To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we
mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be.
To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths.
To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we
grieve with you.
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with
you.
To those who placed children up for adoption — we commend you for your selflessness
and remember how you hold that child in your heart.
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate
with you.
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have
real warriors in our midst. We remember you.