Reflections on Motherhood

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you wonderful moms out there!

I am so happy to be celebrating this Mother’s Day as a mommy of two sweet and adorable little girls. This is the first Mothers Day in over 4 years that we are not awaiting one of our children from India. Prior to those 4 years, I spent 4 years avoiding even the thought of this holiday because we were struggling with the intense sadness and frustration of infertility. This year is truly joyous – we have both of our children home with us and, at least for the time being, our family is complete.

It would not be right to let this day pass without acknowledging the moms who have helped to shape my life and make me into the mom that I am today:

My mother. Thank you, mom, for sharing your life and love with me. Thank you for caring for me, teaching me, listening to me, advising me, having pride in me, and being a friend to me. Thank you for your strength and determination that continues to win against a disease that has been trying to steal you away from us for over five years. You make me want to be a better person and live my life to the fullest every day.

My mother-in-law. Thank you, mom-in-law, for teaching my husband what it is to love his family and to prioritize them over everything else in life. Thank you for teaching him strength and courage, and giving him the support that has enabled his success.

My mom-friends. Thank you for being there and supporting me. Thank you for helping me through the rollercoasters of infertility and adoption (wherever each of you has entered my life, I know there has been a rollercoaster of some type!). Thank you for understanding and sharing my pain as well as my joy. Thank you for sharing your experiences and your lives. Thank you for making me laugh. I only hope that I can give you the support, comfort, and happiness that you have given me.

And, last, but certainly not least: I thank two young women that I have never met or spoken to. Two women from Kolkata, India who have given me the greatest gift on earth. These women, unable to care for the babies they had just given birth to, made a positive plan for the children’s lives by relinquishing them for adoption. These women decided to give the children life and hope. In taking this step, these women gave me my family. My daughters. My chance to be.. MOTHER. For this incredible gift, they deserve much more than a simple ‘thank you’. I hope and pray that they have peace in their lives and know in their hearts that their girls are loved as much as any child could possibly be loved. I might not know these women, but I will never forget who they are or what they have done for me and for my daughters.

Every day I am thankful that I have been blessed with my two amazing little girls. I am constantly surprised by the amount of love which seems to continue to grow between all of us. I cannot imagine today that I could love my children any more than I do at this moment, but I am finding that being a mother means that your heart grows and grows .. as does the amount of love that you can feel, give, and receive.

I am truly, truly blessed.