A Mother's Day Tribute

A tribute to all moms:

You are beautiful in every form you take. Single. Married. Divorced. Non-biological. 

You are beautiful whether you home school or your children go to public schools, whether you have 1 child or 7. 

You are beautiful whether you choose to be at home with your children all day every day, or if you choose to  go to work during the day and then come home and put them to bed at night. You are beautiful if you have no choice in the matter. 

You are beautiful whether you breastfeed or bottle feed, whether you use cloth diapers or not. You are beautiful whether you only feed your children organic vegan meals or whether your child went to bed on a stomach full of McDonalds because hey, that's all he would eat tonight. 

You are beautiful whether your baby is just hours - or minutes! - old, or whether that child isn't even born yet....you are beautiful if that child never will be born, or if he was born but now is gone. 

You are beautiful if your children are all raised and having children of their own and you ache to hear their laughter fill your ears and their pattering feet fill your hallways. 

You are beautiful because you give of yourself to make someone else's life better. 

You know the saying, "You have never really lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." Well guess what? You've already done that. You brought life into this world. You carried a child in your body and every ounce that baby gained in your belly was first made by you and then freely given to him. Your child will never be able to repay you - only pay it forward. You have done a selfless, sacrificing job and you have done beautifully. 

 If you are a mother, in any way, today I honor you. I thank you. I respect you. I cannot make you breakfast in bed or clean the bathroom or give you some much deserved time to yourself, but I can share these pictures with you of all these gorgeous Mothers I have met and fallen in love with. I love them because I see the way they love their children - and it is the exact same love I have for my children. 

This love we all feel? It's universal and it's binding and it's real and it's powerful. It is truly divine and it is a gift. It makes me feel connected to something far greater than myself. 

Perhaps that is why I love capturing these moments in photographs. I will never stop being grateful for the opportunity I have to portray the love between a mother and her children. You deserve to see the way you look at them.....but more than that, you deserve to see the way they look when they are in your arms. There is no where else they'd rather be than with you.

Mothers.....You. Are. Beautiful. 

A tribute to my own mother: 

Thank you for teaching me to be kind to others, even when - or, perhaps, especially when, they are different  from everyone else or otherwise don't have many friends. This attribute I have tried to have in my life has blessed me far greater than I have blessed others. 

Thank you for always reacting with love first and logic second. Never let the world - or anyone else - take that away from you. 

Thank you for being sensitive, both to the spirit and to your own emotions. It does not make you weak or less than anyone else; it makes you genuine, lovable, vulnerable, and real. It makes people love you back. 

Now that I am a mother to the most important and special little boy of my life (soon to be TWO boys!), I cannot thank you enough for teaching me how to mother! You taught me - through word, deed, and example - how to give of myself freely and happily, constantly and consistently. You taught me patience, even when it's not deserved or earned. You taught me unconditional love, the most priceless and Christlike gift one can ever receive, and I hope I can always give my sons this precious gift, just as you do every. single. day.

A tribute to my sons, on making me a mother: 

You have given me a gift for which I will forever be grateful. You have made me whole and given me purpose and a reason to be better. You are my greatest challenge and my greatest accomplishment. Words will never be enough to express my love and adoration for you. 

And baby boy number two? We cannot wait to have you join our family. You are already so loved.