Mother’s Day. This year typing those two words means something different to me than it has in the past. Before I started my journey through the adoption process I feel like I had a veil over my eyes. Truly, I saw the world differently. The beauty of adoption is that to truly do the best thing for your future family, you MUST look at things from all angles.

Every bump, every curve, every exhilarating and sometimes scary ride down this road of adoption has helped to lift that veil that was, and sometimes still is, over my eyes. Mother’s Day. What a beautiful day to honor moms. It truly is, and please do not think that I am taking away anything from that. But this year, I’ve had all sorts of different thoughts about Mother’s Day.

• I’ve thought about how a woman must feel to see yet another Mother’s Day and no positive pregnancy test, and yet all she’s ever wanted was to be a mom.
• I’ve thought about how a mother’s heart must pitter and patter when her child brings her a beautiful hand painted card with the word “Mommy” scribbled in finger paint.
• I’ve thought about the daughter or son whose heart aches as they remember their mom who is not with them anymore.
• I’ve thought about how a mom must feel this Mother’s Day who is seeing her child celebrate Mother’s Day as a mom for the first time and how amazing that must feel.
• I’ve thought about the child who hates Mother’s Day because his or hers isn’t there or doesn’t know how to be a present and loving parent.
• I’ve thought about the mother who loves her child from afar and aches this year but lives strongly every day in that decision.
• I’ve thought about a child wondering if it’s okay to wonder about their birth/first mother on Mother’s Day and I’ve thought about the adoptive parent praying that their child knows that it’s okay to love them both.
• I’ve thought about a mom holding her baby or child this Mother’s Day who is thinking that miracles truly do happen.

I look at Mother’s Day through a different lens. Please know I’m not taking anything away from it. I’ve just learned that Mother’s Day may seem very simple, but a lot of the time the feelings surrounding it can be much more complex. How do you sum up joy, elation, sorrow, gratitude, and jealousy all in one word? Simplex.

~Chelsea