12/05/2024
I just had a mom who chose to care for my brother and me pass away a week ago. My stepmother was actually the catalyst that changed the direction of my life. We all know people who, the moment they step into our lives, change something forever. For me, that person was Maria. When I was a teenager, my dad traveled to America from South Africa on business. Because of Maria, my dad remarried. Because of her, we all immigrated to America. Because of her, I later met Matt and now have Mya and Kate. I am so thankful for my stepmother and loved her for all the details of many chapters written over the last 30+ years.
So, in honor of her, my mom, my mother-in-law, and mothers everywhere—from those with newborns to those with adult children, to moms who have lost children, to moms who have lost their own mothers, to those who have chosen not to be mothers, to the moms who are moms to other people’s kids, to those who live far from their moms, to those with strained mother-daughter relationships, and to those who yearn to be mothers—I extend love and hugs to women everywhere for all the things we do every. single. day.
I saw something on Instagram this week that said, “Grief = unexpressed love,” and described grief as a beautiful emotion. Because one thing is certain—we never have enough time to say the things we want to say, enjoy the things we want to enjoy in the chaos of it all, and don’t have enough time to express all the love we feel inside in the busyness of life... Both to our moms and to our kids.
Wishing you time to stop and enjoy Mother’s Day. I see you. I feel you. And I know it’s hard and amazing all in the same breath.
