dear mothers everywhere

i have a deep respect for you.

you have made incredible sacrifices,

physical, spiritual, and emotional,

to bring children into the world

who will then grow up to be people...

and there are over 6 billion of those.

crazy.

{i think motherhood is one of the most beautiful things in this world so get ready for lots of beautiful photographic documentations of that}

you have been blessed with an incredible power.
God has entrusted women with the responsibility of bringing souls into the world,
bringing his children to this Earth through you.
He has chosen you to be the carrier of His children for 9 months
and has blessed you with the power to care for them and raise them to live and flourish on this Earth.
this is such a sacred task.
i am so grateful to you, mothers.

many of you have died in an attempt to complete this task.
you have suffered great pain in bringing children to this world.
many of you have had irreparable harm done to your bodies.
many of you have not fully recovered from childbirth,
but you are all so beautiful.
every stretch mark and every "imperfection" that has befallen you once you become a mother is a sign of strength and beauty.
it is a sign of your sacrifice.
a sign that you offered your body to another human being and to God so that you might become a mother and bring a soul into this world.

so beautiful.

motherhood is a sacred mission.
it may not always seem that way.
i know i have been less than kind to my mother.
i have taken her for granted and i have been harsh.
at times i forgot how special and important she is in God's eyes.
at times your children might have made the same mistakes
and i am deeply sorry.
please forgive us.

mothers, you are so special and important to the mission here on Earth.
you have been patient and kind and sweet when things were hard.
you have woken up early countless mornings to send your children off to school.
you have woken up in the middle of the night to ease your baby's crying.

you have fed your infants with your own bodies and watched your body mold into a mother's.
you have cleaned up after your children when they were sick.
you have delivered forgotten homework to your child's school.
you have stayed up late finishing science projects.

you have hugged your children when they were upset,

dried their tears,

kissed their injuries,

told them everything would be alright,

kissed their foreheads,

read them stories,

brushed their hair,

bathed them,

held them,

loved them.

you have played such an important role in this life.

i regret ever having forgotten all the good things my mother has done for me.
mothers, you are amazing.
it doesn't matter how inadequate you feel sometimes
or how many times your child says "i hate you" and doesn't mean it
or how many times you may feel like you have failed...
you are amazing.
God knows how amazing you are.
God loves you.
God knows how special and important you are.

i'm terrified of being a mother
because i know how hard it is.
i know how much i will have to sacrifice
and how much it will hurt.
i know how much pressure there is and how much is expected of me.
i know how important it is.
i am scared i won't be able to do it...
but i am so excited to take on that challenge.
when i am ready i know it will be the most amazing thing in my life
and i can only hope to succeed as well as you have before me.

we can never repay you for the sacrifices you have made.
we are all eternally indebted to our mothers.
we can only honor you
and hope that we can make you feel a fraction of what we felt when you were holding us as children
and combing our hair
and reading us stories
and kissing our foreheads
and loving us
because there is nothing like a mother's love.

we can only express our gratitude
and our love for you, mothers.

so thank you.

cue cheesy quote time:


If nature had arranged that husbands and wives should have children alternatively, there would never be more than three in a family.  ~Lawrence Housman

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts.  A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.  ~Sophia Loren


All women become like their mothers.  That is their tragedy.  No man does.  That's his.  ~Oscar Wilde


{photos acquired via beautyineverything}