I have four kids! It’s an exclamation point because my youngest is still so new. Sometimes it just catches me off guard that these four little people are mine, that I get to raise these four siblings.
My husband and I didn’t know if we’d be able to have kids at all. It took three years of testing and trying and poking and prodding, ending in a traumatic miscarriage before we had our Sam. I then had another painful loss, followed by another waiting period before Josie. Next, our Clara was a straight up surprise gift, born just fifteen months after her sister. We waited for five years then, letting my body take a breather after it had been stretched and torn and ripped and leaky through five pregnancies. And after five years, my “just one more” prayers became Theo, our family’s exclamation point.
Siblings.
They’re so cute and funny and smart, and also sassy and screamy and really good at throwing a fit. We love being together, and we’re also so sick of each other after a thousand months of being home non-stop, working and distance learning and only recently beginning to see family and friends. I love them and want to squish their faces and also want one whole day alone by myself.
Sometimes I get so mad that I laugh. Almost every night I’m exhausted, but I stay up too late on purpose because it’s the only time the house is quiet and my brain can complete a sentence. I dream of the future yet also can’t really see beyond bedtime.
And the baby we await and celebrate at Christmas was also a king — holy and human. We wait to remember His birth each year, and we wait for His return all the time. We both seek, and we are found.
I know the push and pull of mothering, of wanting to mother, of craving for silence even amidst the blessing. There is nothing easy about any of it, and everything seems contradictory — a both/and kind of living.
I read once that a goldfish will grow to fit the space it inhabits. If it’s a pond, the goldfish will swell massive. If it’s a bedroom bowl, the goldfish will stay small.
And so it is with a mothering heart — growing to accommodate more, cracking and shrinking through pain and longing, spanning seasons and decades and long days and short years.
This day is a complex one full of many emotions and experiences. Know that at (in)courage, we are praying for each of you today as you remember, celebrate, grieve, or enjoy motherhood and what it means to you. Every single woman who loves, encourages, and nurtures those who become part of the next generation is doing an amazing work and is to be celebrated today.
Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you for all that you are and all that you do.
I’m grateful that here at (in)courage, we have some beautiful gifts and resources for and about moms of all kinds. Two of my favorites are these:
A Mother’s Love: Celebrating Every Kind of Mom is full of reflections of God’s heart. Featuring unique and diverse stories from the (in)courage community, A Mother’s Love offers heartfelt encouragement to all kinds of moms, whether they’re a mother in a traditional sense, a spiritual mother, or a mother-like figure who breaks the mold. This book is sure to help any woman share a meaningful gift with someone who has been impactful in her life, a new mom learning the ropes, or a close loved one facing the joys and challenges of any stage and type of motherhood. Compiled with all women in mind so we can celebrate those who made us, shaped us, helped us grow, and loved us well, it’s a beautiful gift for the moms in your life.
Oh, Baby! Devotions for New Parents, from DaySpring, would also make a great gift for a new mom in your life! Each entry reminds you that God is close to you and is intimately interested in your feelings, worries, and fears surrounding parenthood. Discover how you can find peace, joy, and grace on this new journey and how God walks with you through every high and every low in Oh Baby!.
To help you celebrate the women and parents you love, we’re giving away FIVE gift bundles that include a copy of each book! Leave a comment on this post telling us about one such special parent in your life, and you’ll be entered to win a copy of A Mother’s Love and Oh, Baby!.
I was blessed to be raised in a 2 parent home. Our Dad elevated our Mom everyday for being a Godly wife & mother. I now get to extend lessons learned at their feet to Sunday school kids, college kids & our friends’ kids God lets us love on. My Dad had it right. We need to elevate each other every day. Happy Mother’s Day to all the nuturers – Moms and Dads! God has it right designing both!
My wonderful mother is my role model. I had an idyllic childhood and have tried to emulate the home in which I was raised with my two beautiful girls. After five years of infertility, my husband and I were blessed to become parents. My niece is expecting her first child, and Oh Baby sounds like a great gift for her and her husband.
Ipraise God for these beautiful reminders of the precious gift of motherhood.The ebb and flow of this amazing experience,this giver of life who has blessed my womb and filled my quiver!!!Thankyou father for your abundant supply of sisters,grandmothers,and your still small voice of guidance when I don’t know what to do.
Thank you, Anna. I, too, have four kids! And my last one was a big surprise who came along when I was 45! Your description of the push and pull of motherhood is perfect. I have loved every minute of it, and also wanted to pull out my hair. Motherhood is an amazing gift and privilege. And also the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I felt so understood when I read this. A kindred spirit.
Anna,
Right there with you praising moms for all they do each day. They give so much more than they receive & do without to give to the ones they treasure. Theirs is a love only comparable to God who sent His only son to die a horrible death. Thanking God for ALL moms out there.
Praising you for including all types of moms – “Every single woman who loves, encourages, and nurtures those who become part of the next generation is doing an amazing work and is to be celebrated today.” Yes & AMEN!
Blessings 🙂
I’ve been mothering for 11 years now as throwing up for months was my welcome to motherhood. The Growth of sacrifice, true love and the servant heart was modeled so well by my mother and grandmothers. It’s been a journey for me in letting my savior mold me into His image. He has blessed me with 4 children, one in heaven. God has used them to grow me in ways I never imagined, and I give Him the glory for that. What a beautiful article you’ve written. Thank you
I love the uplifting and inspiring messages I receive each day. Thank you!
My daughter, Aimee, is a mother to a busy 3 year old and an even more active 9 month old. As she has juggled motherhood and her career as a PT pharmacist to help provide Covid vaccines to many I am inspired by her ability to be an amazing daughter and wonderful wife on top of it all. Motherhood though is her greatest joy and accomplishment. These resources I know would
Bless her.
I want to honor my mother-in-law, Edna. She was always there for me and my kids, but not in an intrusive way. She never criticized me, even in a cloaked way. She seemed to love me from the first day we met. Dear Edna succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease in her mid 50’s, so my kids didn’t get to know her in the same way I did. She was a gem!
My mother was a very special person, who practiced hospitality in many ways. She was a strict teacher and a soft and gentle woman. A dairy farmer, and later, a hairdresser. Although she went to our Lord over 10 years ago, she is still acutely missed.
I am blessed by so many strong women in my life. My Moma, of course, never fails to show by example what being a strong woman is.
My 85-year old MawMaw who now has dementia. She was a huge impact in my life. I learned at a young age how to cook from her.
We grieve and honor my stepmom, Jenny, my mother-in-laws, Herme, and Mary as they are awaiting in heaven.
I can’t forget my young adult daughter who I’m blessed that God chose me to be her Moma. Wishing all the many blessings to all the momas and Moma figures out there.
My mother is gentle, kind ,loving and forgiving May God bless her and all mothers in big ways.
I am so grateful to still have my mom. She is 84, and I thank God for every day I have with her.:)
Blessed to still have my Mom, age 86 and my Mother-in-love, age 88. Both are Godly women whom I love and respect. Blessings to moms of all ages today and everyday!!❤️
Anna – Loved this vulnerable and honest piece! Yes, motherhood is one seriously complex ride!
As I recall my own mama, tears well. We’ve each weathered our own painful mom monsoons – but always together. Through my late little sis’s sudden passing, we held each other up. Through my journey through infertility, we prayed in chapels. Through the difficult diagnoses of two of my kiddos, she gave me courage.
And we’ve celebrated together… our youngest at track and gymnastics meets and our two kiddos with special needs each finding a school that fits them perfectly.
From her steadfast faith to nightly pep talks and her brilliant smile that fills every room, I love my mama with every bit of me. So grateful God gave me my mama to help guide me in this crazy life!
My youngest daughter will be a first time mom in August. She never thought she would have kids of her own. She convinced herself she would always be the favorite aunt. She is beyond ecstatic waiting for baby Ilijah. I would love to bless her with these books!
Anna,
I love following you on Instagram and watching Theo, I was blessed with my first granddaughter in 2020 and it has been a ride❤️I would love to gift these books to my daughter as she has had quite the ride of becoming a mother, mental health issues, not being a newborn type of person to the most loving, patient and caring mom. It has been a blessing to me to be a part of it.
Enjoy the kids , I sound like my parents, the days are long and the years are short!! My youngest is getting married at the end of June and life continues to tick along