I see you there. Yes, I’m talking to you.
I see you pulling yourself up, pushing yourself along, tying yourself in knots.
I see you spreading yourself too thin – running yourself ragged – so much to do, so many places to go and things to remember, you are on constant overload.
I see you trying to be everything to everyone.
I see you fighting a battle that you fear you will never win.
The battle is to keep up, and there are just not enough hours in the day.
That battle will push you over an edge.
And you never know what it is that is going to get you – what that one thing will be that is going to throw you on the other side of your sanity. But it will be something.
Maybe the never ending laundry – maybe a difficult day at work – maybe construction made you late as you rush from one place to the next – maybe an off-handed remark from someone who doesn’t know that you don’t have the armor for it today – another day, maybe, but just not today.
And that one thing will give you that feeling, and even if it’s just for a moment, even if it’s fleeting, that moment will make you feel like it’s all just too much.
Because sometimes, it’s all just too much.
I see that you are sad sometime. You don’t even know why, because you know that you are not unhappy.
You are overwhelmed. You are tired.
You are afraid of failing them, of letting them down, of not being enough.
But no one would even know.
Because when they look at you, looking at them, you smile.
Because you love them, completely. Because they make you feel happiness, gratitude, pride and exhaustion, all at the same time.
And the sad, the overwhelmed feelings, well, they are not their fault.
Your feeling as though you are hanging on by a thread some moments, also not their fault.
I see you trying. I see you pushing past these moments.
I see you doing it, all in the name of being Mom.
The battle fought is with the hard times that come with motherhood, with choosing a life that is no longer about you, where you have made the decision to put others first, and it’s not a battle to be either won or lost.
It’s one to endure. Embrace. Respect. Revere.
It’s a privilege, a gift.
And it’s hard.
And you are not alone.
Look to your left, and to your right, Mom…
There are others out there, just like you. We may not all look like you, because you will find us in every color, every shape, every religion. We are connected by this beautiful and twisty ride of motherhood, and we are plentiful.
We are your sisters, because there is a sisterhood in motherhood.
You will recognize us easily enough…look for a stroller, maybe a child on a hip, or spit up on a t-shirt…cheerios in a car cup holder. Or you might see us sitting on the sidelines of a field, or maybe you see us late night in the grocery store because there’s a “must have item” for the AM that we just learned about as we were heading to bed. Do you see someone looking tired and slightly defeated? Yup, you spotted one.
We are everywhere.
When you see us, the ones that don’t look like you, but that know your path, know your story, in a very keen and and very special way. So be kind, be compassionate, be understanding. Because there is power in numbers, and sometimes, we need all the support we can get. We are bonded by a similar thread, and no one understands you quite like these sisters.
See us trying our hardest, doing our best, just how I saw that in you. See that we want to do what all mom’s want to do, which is be a good mom.
So if you have the chance, if you get the opportunity, remember that we are you, and give us a place to rest our fears, a place to voice our concerns or perceived failures, without judgment, without criticism. See us through it.
I see you Mom, wanting to be your best version of you, and I get you. I understand you. I support you. I stand by you. Because there is a sisterhood in motherhood.
Now, it’s your turn.