I have a secret about Mother’s Day which I’ve never told anyone, including my daughter. Fortunately, I can share it here because my daughter is a teenager and never reads my column (She recently pronounced my column to be too “middle-aged” for her. Oh my.). My secret is this: I really don’t feel like I deserve to be celebrated on Mother’s Day.

Craziness, right? Now I don’t think that I’m a bad mother. I’m actually a decent mom. The reason I don’t deserve to be celebrated is because being a mother is THE BEST thing that ever happened to me. Frankly, the presents should be going in the other direction. My daughter should be the one getting gifts on Mother’s Day. But I like getting presents, so why share this piece of information?

There is no job that I have loved more than being a mom. Has every moment been beautiful? Obviously not. Have there been moments when I yelled my head off in frustration? Of course. But I wouldn’t trade a single moment of this fabulous parenting adventure for anything in the world.

Being a mother has given my life a point. Before parenthood, my life was pointless. I lived selfishly. I didn’t feel responsible to or for anyone. However, after my daughter was born, I grew up. My life was no longer about me. It was about this child, and my priority was to do whatever I could to make her life as beautiful as possible.

Have I accomplished that? No. There are so many parenting moments that I wish I could do over again. Moreover, there are so many ways in which I could have made her life better or easier. At times, I have failed as a parent. My motherhood journey has by no means been perfect.

But through it all, my child’s happiness has been my top priority. And that focus has changed me as a person. For instance, I gladly made professional sacrifices when she was small so that she could have my undivided attention. As she grew up, I figured out ways to be able to work from home so that I could be there when she returned from school. And, over the years, I have delved into her interests, from ballroom dancing to foreign policy to Veep.

Because of this motherhood journey, I have learned how to freely give of myself – without expecting anything in return. So often in life, we do things for others with some expectation of a return. I certainly don’t work for my employer for free. Even in my family relationships, I do things for others with the expectation of at least a “thank you.” However, I don’t do things for my daughter because I expect anything from her. The only reward I seek for my hard work is her happiness.

I often joke that I will “die happy” if my daughter marries a “nice man who worships the ground she walks on.” I say that partly in jest, but partly it is true. Her happiness is my happiness.

Most significantly, it is through motherhood that I have been offered a small glimpse of understanding of God’s love for me.

How could I have understood God’s limitless capacity for forgiveness without becoming a mother?

How could I have understood God’s desire for me to become wise and great in character without becoming a mother?

How could I have understood God’s boundless love for me without become a mother?

How could I have fully understood the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross without becoming a mother?

I couldn’t have.

So, on Mother’s Day I will enjoy a nice lunch. Hopefully there will be some flowers and maybe a small present. After all, I can’t turn down lunch and presents! But the whole day, I will be looking at my daughter, and I will be seeing my greatest gift of all. And I will know that it is I who should be thanking her.

(Photo Courtesy of Pexels)

Email: yourmorningcupofinspiration@gmail.com

Books: “The Secrets to Success for the Working Mother” by Meerabelle Dey (https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Success-Working-Mother/dp/1546329544 )