four things i cherish most about motherhood

by Lisa Boettcher, as originally posted on In Wild Hearts

In honor of Mother’s Day, I’ve been reflecting on how deeply I cherish the gift of motherhood. I am all too aware the day that should be special day for all moms is cause for great celebration for some and deep grieving for others. While some of us received gifts of gratitude, others were burdened with deep, painful heartache. Just know, mommas, that my heart goes out to all of you, and that I do not take this beautiful gift of motherhood for granted.

4 Things I Cherish Most About Motherhood

1 – // The Power //  I didn’t even realize how physically, mentally or emotionally strong I could be until I became a mom. A mother’s body does so many amazing things, physically. I often push myself far beyond believe in the midst of pure exhaustion and am continually amazed that my body just does what it needs to do. It keeps up, it produces nourishment, it builds strength, it meets and exceeds my requests. I stretch myself mentally and emotionally too. Raising and nurturing children brings out all the feels — the joyful moments and tears of happiness or challenging moments that require fighting back tears of a mini-meltdown (Okay, who am I kidding, sometimes MAJOR meltdowns). I empathize with my children and worry about them, too. I am constantly concerned with being the best mom for my girls, and that is sometimes alone enough to drive one a little crazy.

It makes me smirk a bit though, when I think of some of the most exhausting times in my life. One that stands out so very clearly right now is the adventure of potty training Maven. We opted for the “stay home and potty train in a weekend” method. I can’t even begin to describe how sore my body was after those three days and how mentally and emotionally drained I was. {Should I be embarrassed about that?} I did SO much chasing around, sprinting to the bathroom, squatting, lifting and hovering – all while carrying, swaying or consoling my colicky infant at the time – that my body didn’t have a moment to rest. Ever. I wildly celebrated the successes and was deep in the pits of disappointment when we had setbacks. “Yay! This is going to work!” to “Should we even continue?!” in a matter of minutes. It was exhausting in every sense of the word. It’s times like those, giggles aside, that I am reminded just how powerful I am as a mother. In oh-so-many ways.

2 – // The Moments //  I love, love, love all of the moments of motherhood. All the amazing firsts. The smiles. The laughs. The hugs. The kisses. The talks before bed. The stories. The imaginative play time. The art projects. The messes from free-spirited play. The time spent together. The time spent apart. The snuggles and rocking in the darkness of the night. Watching them grow. Seeing maturity progress. Witnessing the acts of love, kindness and generosity that you’ve instilled in them. Admiring their accomplishments. The moments of encouragement. The moments when they just need their momma. Seeing them succeed. Seeing them learn or adjust from wrong-doings. Recognizing that the baby moments have changed to the toddler moments and those will quickly change to childhood, teenage and beyond moments.

I soak in all the moments as much as I possibly can, for I know they are a gift and that time passes far too quickly. In only the blink of an eye we are on to the next moment, and so I cling to the precious memories of the past and savor in the anticipation of the great moments to come.

3 – // The Love // A momma’s love knows no borders. It does not discriminate. It is available to all. It is unconditional. It supersedes nearly all other things in life. The magnitude of this love is immense and intense. It overflows my heart with emotion.

I recently watched a mother’s love from a perspective different than mine, and it is such a beautiful thing. A momma’s love fills voids, compliments other sources of love, provides support, overcomes challenges, stays strong even when weary. It is a mighty force that this love of a mother can assume a child that needs her no matter if she birthed the child herself. The love of a mother is a magnificent and precious treasure. I am witness to the magnitude thanks to all of the extraordinary mothers in my life.

4 – // The Tribe // It’s this kind of second nature in me to call on my mom, my sisters (who are also moms) or my mom friends when I am in need of any kind of advice – or even if I just need someone else to say “Oh momma, I know.” You know what I’m talking about. Those times when your toddler has pushed every. single. button., tested every single boundary and turned every hair on your head gray in a matter of about 10 hours. Yeah, those moments.

It’s when I call on this group of amazing, strong, beautiful, wild-hearted women that I am so incredibly humbled. We are moms for moms. Together we join our hearts in times of rejoicing and happiness, mourning and sorrow, celebrating and joy, consoling and encouragement. We hold those in love who are weak and weary and we love just as much on those who are strong and thriving.

You, mamas, are my people. You, mamas, are my tribe. And you make me cherish motherhood that much more.

lisa is a writer, marketer, public health devotee and creative, but first and foremost a mama. she is a two-time breastfeeder (with more to come) and loves sending messages of positivity to others. her mantra is living in love and light, after all.

most days her ability to accomplish everything the WAHM life has to offer hinges on (steamy) chai tea lattes, but she is always a go getter. she loves the art of storytelling and the ability to connect with women through truth speaking and joy seeking. say hey over on Instagram, because she is always loving on photos of other mamas + typing out encouragement their way.