A First Mother's Day

It’s my first Mother’s Day and it is still so surreal. When my daughter was born I would walk into

a room and people would say, “There’s your Mom, Lola” and I would look behind me to see who they were talking about. Even now I look at this beautiful creature that I spent nine (miserable) months growing inside of me and I can’t believe that she is really mine. She smiles at me and my breath is stolen. She makes my facial expressions and I see myself reflected back at me. I feel such a responsibility to be the best role model that I can be. She inspires me to be better everyday. I want to make wise decisions and mold a life that will nurture her and encourage creativity and happiness. It’s so grown-up and adult that I have to do a double-take sometimes.

I always heard people say that having kids would change your life and I believed them. What

I didn’t know was the depth that ran. The change takes place at a soul level. You are changed by the existence of something that started as the size of a bean.

And for this, my first Mother’s Day, I gathered with my family (as I had many times before) and shared my beautiful daughter with anyone who wanted to love on her. And as I sat there, watching these women I love care for my daughter the way I do their children, I realized that I was so blessed to have such good role models for what a mother is supposed to be. Each of them has something unique about the way they fulfill their role of “Mom” but what they all have in common is the strength that they bring to their families. Some of them, the generation before me, have kids who are grown and have gone on to start families of their own. They get to now enjoy just being Grandmothers or Gigis. But I know, because one is my own mom, that they taught their children about being strong when you are a single parent and about persevering through hard times. I looked at my cousin’s wife, who is not only my family but one of my closest friends, and I watched her put up a canopy and fill a kiddie pool before she ever sat down to relax. Her kids’ enjoyment and entertainment came before her own even on Mother’s Day. She shows me all the time what it means to be selfless while still nurturing her marriage and pushing her family to succeed in every way they can. (I have to give a shout out to my other Mom, Gigi to my Lola, who was instrumental in helping to mold me into the Momma that I am. We weren't together that day but she is an amazing Mom and Gigi!)

My daughter is lucky to have such strong female role models and I am lucky to have such strong women influencing me. These people understand the power of the change children bring into your life and they have helped to guide me from childhood to adulthood and through pregnancy and parenting. I can only pray that every new mom has people like this supporting her journey! Happy Mother’s Day, y’all!