Happy Mother’s Day!

One of my greatest joys is being a mother to my two children. They had my heart the day they were born and my love for them only continues to grow through the years. To all the moms today, you are blessed!

Even though my mom is no longer with me, I will miss her this Mother’s Day! I am grateful to have had a mom who loved the Lord and taught me so much about so many things. And while my mother-daughter relationship was not perfect, she shaped and influenced who I am today. For that, I am forever grateful.

So, this Mother’s Day, my podcast features messages you wanted to send your mom. Why? Because this is a time to honor her with good things and let her know how much she means to you.  Sometimes, we tend to focus on only the negatives or problems. While those are real, they must be balanced by an appreciation of how difficult a job mothering is-moms don’t always get it right. They are human, but hopefully there is grace when problems arise.

One of the reasons mothers are so important is because they teach us how to be intimate, to deal with conflict, how to feel about our bodies, how to cope, how to walk out our faith, and how to be a woman. So, this Mother’s Day, as a tribute to your mom, tell her why you appreciate her.

I’ll begin. My mom gave me…a sense of independence and provided a model for equal partnership in a marriage. She modeled faith and gave me a Christian upbringing, taught me common sense and balanced business with family life. Her love for people and caring for others were passed on to me as well. I could go on…and yes, we had our issues, but this is a day to reflect on positive things that don’t often get said.

Despite the challenges you may have with your mom, always be willing to try and work things out. She is too important to avoid or maintain distance. Now, I know some moms are abusive, addicted, or suffer severe mental health disorders.  Boundaries will be needed. But working on your response to difficult moms will help you. In the long run, navigating this important relationship will make you more interpersonally effective with other people. Therefore, do what you can to resolve problems and be a part of her life.

And if you need more help determining how to relate to your mom, my book, I Love My Mother But…can help. It was written to help adult daughters be separate but connected to their moms.

Keep doing the work. Honor your mother this Mother’s Day in whatever way you can. The least you can do is honor her for having you!