Happy Mother's Day

This is something I came across today and it brought me to tears. (dang pregnancy hormones!) But I think it speaks so well to so many.

An Open letter to Pastors on Mother's Day

Originally found at: http://messymiddle.com/2012/05/10/an-open-letter-to-pastors-a-non-mom-speaks-about-mothers-day/  

"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 this year 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 will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
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."

I would love to add, "To those who treat others children like they are your own, we thank you."
This past year, I have been truly blessed by friendships with people who take care of my son as if he was their own child. They teach him, laugh with him, snuggle him, discipline him, play with him and love him. They all have a unique way of interacting with him and its a beautiful thing to see. They have a way of drawing out a part of him that we as parents can't. Its awesome to see him discover new things with all of you. There are times as a mother that you feel as though you can't give another ounce to your child because of exhaustion, but there are our friends picking up the slack when we can't. We have been so encouraged this year. We have felt your love, your support and your prayers. This Mother's Day, we salute you. Thank you for being there for us, for Joel and for our family.  You guys rock!