Acknowledging the wide continuum of mothering-a true celebration of Mother’s Day

As of tomorrow, May 13, it has been two months since my last post.

In those two months I have gained hundreds of Facebook followers, dozens of Pinterest and Google+followers and a handful of Twitter followers.

You know what that tells me?

It tells me that, even in my absence, you are still sharing my information…my site stats tell me you are still visiting…and the e-mails I have received tell me that you are worried about this unusual break.

I appreciate your concern. I appreciate you checking in on me. Most of all, I appreciate you still being here.

Please know that the off-line realities that have held me back these last couple of months are starting to dwindle. I will be back in the swing of things before you know it, and I have many new recipes to share when the time comes.

Today though, today I wanted to stop and talk with you a moment about Mother’s Day.

You see, I was never supposed to be able to have children.

Well, in the very least, it was supposed to be difficult for me. Or so I was told.

I lost an ovary at a very young age due to a cystic tumor that had grown to a tremendous size. Later I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS); a rather newly identified autoimmune syndrome that often leads to infertility.

It was not until after the birth of my youngest that I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, but I now know undiagnosed/untreated Celiac Disease should have made it even more difficult for me to conceive.

The more I reflect on the battles my body had to overcome before I could reproduce, the more I understand that my children are true miracles.

Beyond that, the more I ponder on the miracle of adoption, the more I realize it is because I was told that I would probably never conceive on my own that my heart was open to adopting…which is how two of my amazing children came to me.

Undoubtedly, I am blessed beyond measure.

For some reason, motherhood has been weighing on me more than usual this past year.

I don’t mean that things have gotten more difficult, they haven’t.

I just mean that my responsibility as a mother and what I need to do to ensure I fulfill every sacred duty laid before me has been heavy on my mind. 

Because of this, some life adjustments are in order which have added to my unexpected blogging break. 

Rest assured, the changes that are coming will not only allow me more time to focus on my family, these changes will also allow me to focus more on writing, more on cooking and recipe writing, and more on the needs of those around me.

So when I return, expect that I will return in full force with more dedication than ever before and blogging on a more frequent basis than ever before.

But for now, for now I want to wish you all a happy Mother’s Day. 

To all women with “A Mother’s Heart,” those of you who have children and those of you who don’t, Happy Mother’s Day.

Most importantly though, I would like to take a moment to appreciate and “acknowledge the wide continuum of mothering,” through this perfectly worded letter from Amy over at The Messy Middle:

“To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you

To those who lost a child this year – 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, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you

To those who lost their mothers this year – 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 have aborted children – we remember them and you on this day

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.”

Please know that wherever you stand in the continuum of mothering, you are loved and appreciated.

God bless you all.

xoxo