i decided for this mother’s day week to ask some mothers i admire for a few words–wisdom or otherwise–and a picture of them and their brood (or, however many they could wrangle for a semi-decent picture!). i know that mother’s day can be rough for a lot of people. i want to say, though, that i’m hoping all women who have shown love to another let themselves be celebrated a bit. that ‘ol saying, “it takes a village?” yeah, we’re all a part of that village. birth mothers, adoptive mothers, sisters, aunts, friends. happiest mother’s day to all.
{this is my real-life friend jenny and her kiddos. she is one of the most dear women i know and i am so grateful to have her in my life. she has a heart of gold and has blessed me with her wisdom and grace more times than she probably knows.}
jenny says:
Mother Theresa once said, “we can do no great things, only small things with great love.” I am certainly no Mother Theresa. But I can be someone who takes one moment at a time and pours as much love as I possible can into it. That one moment may look like a mess… like the many times I have placed my tear covered face in my hands, crying out for more love to fill me. Or, that one moment may look like eating donut holes.
{i found kera’s blog a million years ago and we became blog friends pretty quickly. she is hilarious, beautiful, and we have a common love for, at times, speaking without a filter. her funny and honest musings about motherhood in abu dhabi made it easy to fall for her and her blog.}
kera says:
Happy Mother’s Day to me.
I hope that my children will freaking know and will one day understand how hard this is.
But mostly, I hope that they have really nice things to say about me at my funeral.
I hope that my children will freaking know and will one day understand how hard this is.
But mostly, I hope that they have really nice things to say about me at my funeral.
{i actually found annie through her comments on my blog. she was a frequent commenter and always left really thoughtful ones that so resonated with me (particularly on my new-mom posts!). of course, i had to click over and see who the face behind the sweet words, and i found annie! here she is with her little guy!}
annie says:
Being a mom is absolutely my hearts greatest joy. Making sure that you are sharing Jesus, teaching manners, raising a gentleman and having fun, it’s a great responsibility, but one with the biggest reward. Sure, I’m teaching him, but he teaches me too. You learn that not only should you extend grace more, but that you need grace more. At the end of the day when that little boy comes up and stares a hole right through to your soul with those twinkling brown eyes, and says “I love you momma”, then, right then, you believe you are doing something right.
{this is drea and the little marlowe. drea is stylish, funny, real, and just a cool gal. her love for that little lady is evident in everything she writes. she lives in florida, has a seriously fun home, and blogs about their vegan eating and other adventures. i’d love to meet drea in real life pluuuus she has some massachusetts roots so, you know, it could happen.}
drea says:
being a mom means never having to dance in my underwear (or fully clothed), alone, in my home again…… well, at least until she’s a teenager and then well, you know, I just embarrass her.
{this is my friend candis, her husband, and her littlest (wait! not anymore! she just had a baby girl!). candis is one of those women who just exudes a peaceful energy. i don’t know how to explain it besides that. she’s just calming, she’s kind, and you just want to be around her. her family is lucky to have her.}
candis says:
The other day my son fell and bumped his head pretty hard. It could have been a lot worse and I was really shaken up by it. As I rocked him and kissed his face holding back tears myself I realized that no matter how old he gets I will always feel his hurts and my heart will always be with him. It was beautiful, it was scary. It was something I already knew of course, because from the moment you lay eyes on your child you know this truth. But you know, sometimes it really hits you. Motherhood to me is relentless. Relentless love, movement, work, joy and bittersweet heartache having this perfect being who is your own heart walking around exposed to this great unpredictable world.
{jora has been a longtime blog friend and a mother i really look up to. she’s honest about the difficulties of motherhood, but also seems to do it with such grace, beauty, and patience that you really want to know her secret. along with her family, she lives in san diego and one day i’m going to stop over for a dip in their pool.}
jora says:
“your children are not your children,
they are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.
they come through you but are not from you,
and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
you may give them your love but not your thoughts,
for they have their own thoughts.
you may house their bodies but not their souls,
for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
you may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.”
-kahlil gibran
they are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.
they come through you but are not from you,
and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
you may give them your love but not your thoughts,
for they have their own thoughts.
you may house their bodies but not their souls,
for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
you may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.”
-kahlil gibran
{sarah is a long time blog friend and, as you can all probably attest, she’s a genuine woman, a seriously loving wife, and now the sweetest mother to little tuck. whenever i visit sarah’s blog, her love for life and people comes through in her posts and i think her readers would agree. she’s got such talent for so many things too and, no doubt, motherhood is chief among them!}
sarah says:
we find a delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body – ralph waldo emerson
Gosh, this makes me just itch to be a mom! So beautiful and such a great post!
I loved this!
Thanks for introducing me to some new blogs to stalk! Each and every one of them seems amazing.
they are! hope you enjoy your new finds 🙂
I LOVE this post! It's absolutely amazing being a mom and being able to share your experience with other moms is just part of a great community that we have. Honestly, the advice and shared anecdotes of what happens in our day-to-day happenings is like a breath of fresh air when no one else would understand.
happymedley.blogspot.com
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YES. i could not do it without these women. really.
Some of these blogs I already follow, but I quickly added more to my reader. These ladies seem wonderful and I'm excited to start following their words. I am no where close to being a mommy, but I enjoy following the blogs of you ladies and seeing just how special motherhood is. I follow Any Mommy Out There along with you and Sarah and it's joy seeing you wonderful moms raise beautiful children. Happy Mother's Day to you!
Also, thanks for mentioning the aunts, sisters, and everyone else here. I have a four year old nephew that lives at home with our whole family I will definitely be celebrating everyone in the family this Sunday, along with my own mom!
exactly! i want women everywhere to feel a certain sense of celebration on mother's day even if they technically aren't a mother yet. i would not be the mother i am without the many women in my life who help me daily!
Oh how I needed this… I love sharing and feeling the sisterhood of women, mothering and the reminder that we're not alone in this journey of raising varmints. I've recently (due to health issues) been placed 'not so gently' back home with my kids and left the outside world of work. I've been on the hunt for new bloggers that I can actually sink my soul into and on the road found yours… the only one that has captured my attention. I can't wait to look up the ones above you have mentioned.
For the ache of giving up the fast paced work environment it has been such an amazing blessing to be home with my 5 kids again (the 6th having betrayed me by growing up and going off to college… wink) To hear them pour through my door each day and I'm actually home to see them… well that's just healing in itself 😉 I love learning from my unruly kids each and everyday. I have a feeling they will never be done raising me.
raising varmints! lol!!
wishing you the best of luck on finding your groove in the new normal, pidg! and i love your last quote there. there's such truth in that.
What a beautiful collection of moms! Candis always gets me deep down in the pit of my heart. She's the sweetest.
me too, danielle!
They are some amazing women. Such an inspiration, you just want to be like them! Beautiful.
takealookthroughmylookingglass.blogspot.co.uk/
i hear you. inspired daily by these women!
Such a great post with such Beautiful women! I follow some of them already, love me some Sarah, Candis and Drea and so excited to check out these other lovely ladies!
Being a mom is the most rewarding job of all time, alhtough I work full time those moments I get at night with my babies is so very special to me. God's greatest gift is children! Happy Mother's Day to you, you are an Amazing mama!!!
thank you!!! happy mother's day to you!!!!
Ohh what a sweet tribute to the day! I'm an older mom who reads your blog, my kids are 17 and 22. I find so much inspiration in looking back at those young motherhood days. It seems so long ago! Jora's KG quote sure rings true to me! What wonderful moms you know Bridget! Damn smart ones 🙂 have a wonderful Mother's Day~ K
isn't that an incredible quote?!
happy mother's day to you, kel!!!!
You're the best! I can't wait to click through these gals! I've already clicked on a few and they are delightful! Thanks for doing this Bridge! You're the greatest!!! xoxoxo
thank YOU annie. for being a part of it and for all the kind comments you have ever left that made me think "WHO IS THIS AMAZING PERSON"
Love you lady. One day we'll hang out. Marlowe's been begging to see the statue of liberty… so I guess that means Northeast here we come.
and i you. tell marlowe the hunt house is way cooler than the statue of liberty.
mine is the best.
see? no filter. this is why i love you.
What a wonderful tribute to some of the fabulous moms in the blogging community! I particularly like that you pointed out that it takes a village. You can mother in all sorts of ways, not just biologically. Thank you for such an important reminder!
it's so true!!!
Oh my gracious — such beautiful mothers and children… and such soulful words. Happy Mother's Day to you, me, and all of them! 😀
thank you lauren!!! and to you!
Such great mamas!! Loved reading their quotes and words of wisdom, other moms often make me look at things in a new and great way. Also, I used to read your friend Jenny's blog and was bummed when she stopped blogging!
same. i'm getting all nostalgic and weepy like with all these amazing women on my blog.
agreed on jenny- i loved her blog!
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hey your responses are working again! 🙂 i loved reading what all these mamas have to say about being a mama (and HAH to Kera's response!).. what a beautiful way to honor the incredible thing that is motherhood, Bridget! PS yay, new blogs on the radar!!!
These two posts today are just as sweet as can be. I may have to "steal" this idea from you next year. I love how you gave us such a tiny but to perfect and personal glimpse into who these moms are. I can't wait to find the time to visit the one's with blogs and get to know them. If they are awesome as you are, I am in for quite a treat.
I am SOOO Happy I did Jenni's challenge. I can't believe the amazing people/blogs that I 'm still finding after all these years.
steal away! and her challenge has been unreal! the turn out! what a cool idea it was. glad we've found each other!
excuse my terrible grammar/punctuation . . lying down to type creates that problem.
I'm finally commenting on this. I keep referring back to it and reading what everyone wrote. I'm not a mother yet, but this has given me hope. Thank you so much for compiling it and rounding up such an amazing group of women. Will be following along on several of their blogs now.
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