A Gift for Mom! 🤍

I’ve Been There, Embattled Mama—Hang On

In: Motherhood

3 Minute Read

By Melanie Mogensen

Woman pushing IV pole — Image via Melanie Mogensen

I’ve been there, mama.

Sitting at the side of my child’s hospital bed, praying for a miracle.

I’ve been there.

Holding my loved one’s hand as they took their last earthly breath.

I’ve been there.

Watching helplessly as the surgeons wheeled my loved one away to have life-saving, emergency surgery.

I’ve been there, too.

RELATED: To the Moms Who Conquered Cancer

Lying in the hospital bed, hooked up to a cocktail of chemotherapy drugs, hoping with all my might this treatment will be the one that helps me reach remission.

So many times, my reality has felt like something I should be watching on TV, not experiencing in real life.

Like when I had to place my 4-month-old daughter’s life in the hands of a surgeon to repair a gaping hole in her heart when it was only the size of a walnut.

Or when I had to watch as the love of my life was wheeled away into 14-hour brain surgery to carefully remove an AVM in his brain that was threatening his life.

Or just three years ago when I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer right before the holidays.

I’ve been there, mama.

When all seems to be going wrong.

I’ve doubted my faith and my place in this world, too.

But throughout my life, I’ve also witnessed the impossible become possible.

All these real-life health emergencies have taught me life sometimes life hands us grenades.

RELATED: For the Sorrowful Heart When Struggle Seems Too Much to Bear: This Too Shall Pass

Life as we know it can be turned upside down in an instant.

We can’t always control what happens to us, but I’ve learned we can always control how we respond.

Navigating the uncertainty that comes with chronic illness and cancer has helped me remain calm in a crisis.

My journey has taught me that sometimes things have to fall apart, so they can come together better in the end.

Being pushed to my limits and coming face to face with death has brought me closer to my faith.

I’ve found many times, it’s the things that wound us the deepest that lead us to the most profound healing.

Although sometimes we doubt our own strength and ability to survive what’s in front of us, knowing others have walked this difficult road and survived, gives us hope we can too.

While I don’t know your story, our struggle is likely the same.

I’m here to tell you it will get better.

It may not be today or tomorrow, but things will change.

RELATED: Tragedy Changes You, But it Doesn’t Have To Ruin You

Bad things happen.

Emergencies and crises affect us all.

But things can always change for the better.

When you’re lost for words and what to do next,

Hang on to the hope that rises with each breath.

I’ve been there, mama but I’m HERE now.

And I’m so glad you are too.

So God Made a Grandmother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Order Now!

Melanie Mogensen

Melanie Mogensen is a writer, wife, and mother of three who knows all too well how life can change in an instant. From becoming a young mom in her early 20s to managing twins and battling cancer, she is no stranger to adversity and God’s grace. Two years ago, in the middle of her own struggle with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, she began sharing her story to help cope and let others know that even the most difficult times there is always hope and something to be grateful for. Check out more on her blog hopefulwarrior.com or follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

These Moms on the Sidelines Became My People

In: Motherhood

Moms with arms around each other watching baseball

Spending hours on end on a ballfield on Mother’s Day may not sound ideal to most, but the ones who get it know that it’s about so much more than watching young kids play ball. It’s about the instant bonds you make with families who end up becoming like your own family. It’s being surrounded by people who cheer for your kid louder than you do yourself. It’s about being lucky enough to have a pack of moms who will care for your child in your absence and send you pics and videos of what you are missing when you...

Keep Reading

I Wanted Experts to Fix My Child with ADHD. Instead, They Changed Me.

In: Motherhood

Little boy sitting at table talking to adult

I thought the experts were going to fix my child. I didn’t say that out loud. But it was there…quiet, desperate, sitting underneath every question I asked. If I just found the right strategy… If I just understood ADHD well enough… If I just listened hard enough… Maybe the meltdowns would stop. Maybe the chaos would settle. Maybe I would finally feel like I knew what I was doing. So I started asking questions. Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to interview ADHD experts (clinicians, researchers, specialists) through my podcast. And I showed up to every conversation like...

Keep Reading

Parenting a Child with a Disability Is Holy Ground

In: Motherhood

Some moments in motherhood stay with you. First steps. Preschool graduation. A first dance recital. And then there are harder times. The ones that do not make it into photo albums. The moments when the world feels too big and your child feels painfully misunderstood. When you are parenting a child with a disability, those moments tend to find you more often. This day should have felt like a win. My son had just met a goal in therapy. We walked out of his OT’s office smiling, carrying a page full of lopsided circles that had never looked more perfect...

Keep Reading

I Came Home With a Baby—and Lost Myself

In: Motherhood

I don’t think people truly believe me when I say I came back from the depths of hell after having my son. Birth is often portrayed as pure bliss. The moment a mother holds her baby and instantly falls in love. Life quickly returns to normal. Even in real life, new moms can look like they’ve settled into motherhood with ease. But what no one talks about is the ugly, incredibly hard side of it. Not every mom experiences postpartum depression, anxiety, or OCD. For some, it really is bliss. But for many of us, it becomes a fight for...

Keep Reading

He Doesn’t Always Need Me Anymore and I’m Not Sure How To Feel About It

In: Motherhood

Little boy playing with toys on the floor alone

There is a moment nobody warns you about. Not the sleepless nights. Not the feeding schedules. Not the endless cycle of laundry and worry that comes with keeping a tiny human alive. Those parts everyone mentions. The part nobody mentions is the moment you realize your child has started becoming his own person. And you are standing there watching it happen, equal parts proud and completely unprepared. My son is two years old. And lately he has been leaving the room. Not in a concerning way. In a he has somewhere to be kind of way. He will be in...

Keep Reading

We Keep Calling Her Confident, But She Doesn’t Trust Herself

In: Motherhood

I remember the exact moment it hit me. I was talking to a young girl, the kind everyone praises. She was polite, well spoken, respectful. The kind of girl people point to and say, “She’s so confident.” So I asked her a question I knew would reveal more than her smile ever could: “What do you do when something doesn’t feel right?” She froze. Not in a dramatic way, but in a quiet, almost invisible way. She looked down, shifted her weight, then looked back up at me, searching my face like the answer might be written there. Because she...

Keep Reading

I Knew Something Was Wrong, But No One Listened—And It Almost Cost Me My Daughter

In: Motherhood

After the traumatic birth of my daughter, I searched for others who had experienced vasa previa, but most of what I found were support groups for stillbirth. It’s easy to understand why; vasa previa is one of the most preventable causes of stillbirth, and yet most people, including most pregnant women, have never heard of it. My daughter is almost three years old, and I still carry a complicated guilt about that: why did we get to be the lucky ones? I want to share my story—not to frighten you, but because awareness is the only thing that saves lives...

Keep Reading

I Finally Admitted I Didn’t Want To Be a SAHM Anymore

In: Motherhood

For most of my life, I believed becoming a stay-at-home mom wasn’t just a choice, it was the ultimate goal. The kind of life a “good” woman was meant to want. The kind of life that meant you were doing things right. I grew up surrounded by that message. In conservative spaces, in church circles, in subtle conversations about what a “real” mother looked like. Women who stayed home were praised. Women who didn’t were quietly questioned. I learned, without ever being directly told, that a mother’s highest purpose was to center her entire world around her children and her...

Keep Reading

I’m Not Really Sure How To Do This Teenager Thing

In: Motherhood, Teen

I was not prepared to be a mother of teenagers. Sure, I was warned by other parents about the difficult journey I was about to embark on, but I did not expect it to be this challenging. I remember these two sweet, innocent children who wanted to be with me all the time. Now they barely give me the time of day. How did we get here? Like many parents, we long to have that child who once, a long time ago, called us Mommy and Daddy and begged us to read them another story. Where are those kids I...

Keep Reading

Why Don’t We Talk About Jonah’s Mother?

In: Faith, Living, Motherhood

Praying for My Son Send a storm to stop him; Let his friends throw him out. May he drop to the deeps, But gently, please, Stubborn though he may be. If it could only take three days, How my mother’s heart would Rejoice in praise. From the hell you allow him, Let him cry to you. Is not Nineveh and mercy Exactly what he knows He needs— A mercy on enemies He fears You will concede? Please let all the shade wither If his is an angry soul; Humble him and help him follow Where you would have his purpose...

Keep Reading

I'm Giving My Kids an '80s Summer

Kids

I'm Giving My Kids an '80s Summer

Learning to Live Without My Mom is the Hardest Thing I've Ever Done

Grief

I’ve Been There, Embattled Mama—Hang On

RELATED: To the Moms Who Conquered Cancer

So many times, my reality has felt like something I should be watching on TV, not experiencing in real life.

I’ve been there, mama.

RELATED: For the Sorrowful Heart When Struggle Seems Too Much to Bear: This Too Shall Pass

We can’t always control what happens to us, but I’ve learned we can always control how we respond.

While I don’t know your story, our struggle is likely the same.

RELATED: Tragedy Changes You, But it Doesn’t Have To Ruin You

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Melanie Mogensen

These Moms on the Sidelines Became My People

I Wanted Experts to Fix My Child with ADHD. Instead, They Changed Me.

Parenting a Child with a Disability Is Holy Ground

I Came Home With a Baby—and Lost Myself

He Doesn’t Always Need Me Anymore and I’m Not Sure How To Feel About It

We Keep Calling Her Confident, But She Doesn’t Trust Herself

I Knew Something Was Wrong, But No One Listened—And It Almost Cost Me My Daughter

I Finally Admitted I Didn’t Want To Be a SAHM Anymore

I’m Not Really Sure How To Do This Teenager Thing

Why Don’t We Talk About Jonah’s Mother?

Get It Now

So God Made a Mother

I’ve Been There, Embattled Mama—Hang On

So many times, my reality has felt like something I should be watching on TV, not experiencing in real life.

I’ve been there, mama.

We can’t always control what happens to us, but I’ve learned we can always control how we respond.

While I don’t know your story, our struggle is likely the same.

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

These Moms on the Sidelines Became My People

I Wanted Experts to Fix My Child with ADHD. Instead, They Changed Me.

Parenting a Child with a Disability Is Holy Ground

I Came Home With a Baby—and Lost Myself

He Doesn’t Always Need Me Anymore and I’m Not Sure How To Feel About It

We Keep Calling Her Confident, But She Doesn’t Trust Herself

I Knew Something Was Wrong, But No One Listened—And It Almost Cost Me My Daughter

I Finally Admitted I Didn’t Want To Be a SAHM Anymore

I’m Not Really Sure How To Do This Teenager Thing

Why Don’t We Talk About Jonah’s Mother?

Previous Post

Next Post

You May Also Like