Happy Mother's Day!

Earlier this year I read a wonderful book, "I am a Mother" by Jane Clayson Johnson. It is a beautiful and inspiring book. I read it during a particularly difficult time with the kids. Sam was the queen of attitudes, and the boys were really trying my patience as they were constantly pushing limits and "no" was the only word I ever heard. I was feeling really guilty about my parenting and felt that I wasn't a very good mother - that I wasn't very nice and all they heard from me each day was frustration and exasperation. As I sat down each night to read, I felt uplifted and ready to face the next day with a positive attitude. This book changed my view of motherhood and made me really appreciate what I have and my role in life. I truly love my children, and although I am far from being the perfect mother, and the frustrating , not-so-nice-mom days still happen often, I would never trade this moment in time for anything! I am so thankful for my three little miracles. They are definitely my life's greatest joy!

"In our society, we give motherhood plenty of lip service, " says Oprah Winfrey, another champion of motherhood. "We pat moms on the head, bring them flowers on Mother's day, and honor them before crowds. But at the end of the day, we don't extend them the same respect we would a professor, a dentist, an accountant, or a judge. I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is. To create an environment that's stimulating and nurturing, to pass on a sense of responsibility to another human being, to raise a child who understands that he or she is created from good and is capable of anything -- I know for sure that few callings are more honorable. To play down mothering as small is to crack the very foundation on which greatness stands. The world can only value mothering to the extent that women everywhere stand and declare that it must be so. In our hands we hold the power to transform the perception of motherhood....We should no longer allow a mother to be defined as 'just a mom.' It is on her back that great nations are built." ("I am a Mother", by Jane Clayson Johnson)

Happy Mother's Day all you beautiful, talented women!