We all have had our “moments” with our mothers. This reality exists in some form or fashion whether our moms are still with us on this earth or have gone on to the next life and beyond. It’s true whether or not the women that raised us birthed us, or the women that raised us became whom we recognized as our mother by adoption, marriage or choice. So many women raise children that are not their own by birth, but rather by making a decision to choose motherhood and taking on the responsibility to raise children whether they were blood relations or not.
To take on the role of being someone’s mother is to take on a tremendous responsibility. A child, especially in their most formative years, are so dependent on the person who takes on the role of mother to love them without condition, to nurture, support and teach them how to be a person in the world. From the earliest moments of life, the mother begins the long journey of raising their children to adulthood, caring for the child’s most basic needs of food and shelter. At times and in some of the most challenging circumstances the only food a child has is their mother’s milk and the only shelter from the troubles of the world is found within the warm embrace of their mother’s arms. Whatever happens to our relationship with our mother as we grow up, as the circumstances of life take us through all kinds of events, from triumph to tragedy, it cannot be understated that the life we have began because we were birthed by a woman who deserves our gratitude for simply bringing us into the world and giving us life.
Not all relationships with our mothers are healthy relationships and the situations surrounding those relationships can be wide-ranging and complex. There are circumstances that require some to seek out a surrogate mother because the dysfunction that exists with their birth mother or the mother who raised them has so deteriorated that it becomes an untenable situation. Fortunately, this is more the exception than the rule. Although many of us may have complicated and challenging relationships with our moms, especially in adulthood, we recognize the gift we have been given in being able to celebrate the woman we call Mom on this upcoming Mother’s Day.
This is a tribute to the Mothers, Grandmothers, Great Grandmothers and all the women who have raised and are currently raising children. No matter the situation you find yourself in right now, there’s a woman somewhere that you need to take the time to remember and to give thanks for the contributions they made to who you have become and who you are becoming. We must all cultivate an attitude of gratitude for those who have loved us since before we were born. They have 
nurtured us, corrected us, disciplined us, cheered for us and taught us. They have raised us, cried for us, prayed for us and loved us through the highs and the lows of life’s journey. They have carried us in their loving arms from the beginning and taught us how to pass that love on to others and to our own children.
Make sure to call your Mother if you can. If that’s not possible then call a Mother that you know and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day, just because. Remember, she’s somebody’s Mother.
