Mother's Day

Ahh, mother's day. I think a lot on mothering. I don't think that anything else in my life has changed me as much as mothering. Maybe change isn't the right word because I'm not different, but I am deeper. Before I was a mom, or a 'mama' as I hear most of the time, I thought that the interpretation of the curse in Genesis 3 that says 'in pain you will bring forth children' had to do with the actual birth. Now I know much better. If only that was the only pain we mothers feel, mothering would be a piece of cake. But because I have children I feel like all of my emotions are so much deeper. I hurt much more when they make a bad choice or someone hurts them than I even felt with myself. I laugh so hard and feel so much joy because of them. And I just don't love them deeper, I love my parents and friends and family deeper because of my children. I tear up at any emotion and boy- sometimes -do I get frustrated. No, I don't think it is just childbirth that brings pain, but amazingly so much more has come too, when these 3 amazing children came to me by God's grace. And they are truly gifts. I should be celebrating them today. I did giggle at Ek today telling H that 'Daddy said we need to be kind to mommy today because it is Mother's Day.' HA! They made cards for me at church and Ek made a card for me at school. It had 2 pictures of herself, one she drew the first week of school and one last week, she is precious in both. And tonight she picked me some flowers tonight and put them in a bucket of sand. Fabulous. J planted 3 new dogwoods in the backyard, oh I hope these make it! I am grateful today to be a mother.