Earlier this week I talked to a new friend. She’s expecting her first baby in a few months, and she’d just had a terrible day full of hormones and emotions. She was wondering if she’s crazy, because this being pregnant thing? It’s not her favorite.
“No way,” I reassured her. “You are not crazy.”
She protested. Every mother she knows claims to have loved being pregnant, so surely there’s something wrong with her. I promised her that nobody loves every second of her pregnancy, and some of us are miserable for a full nine months.
Isn’t that just the way of motherhood, though? Thinking, “I must be crazy. Everyone else has it together. I’m the only one . . .”
I can’t believe I fed my children cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner today.
Surely I’m the only mom who prays for her children to sleep past 7 am.
I bet nobody else loses her temper eight times before school starts.
It might be overkill, but I’m going to make sure she’s still breathing. Again.
I just know the other moms have never screamed at their kids in the church parking lot.
The website said it could be chicken pox . . . or cancer. I’m just not sure.
I must be crazy.
You’re not crazy. Well, you might be, but not for any of the reasons I mentioned above.
That’s an excerpt from my Mother Letter, a letter written to all mothers, a note that I hope will encourage any mother who reads it. You can find the letter – along with more than 50 others – in the ebook, Mother Letters: Sharing the Mess & Glory.
Mother Letters is an e-book featuring a collection of letters written to mothers by mothers that has been curated by Seth and Amber Haines. I edited the book, so I’ve read it more than once. And I mean every word when I say that Mother Letters is a lovely collection of messages that will inspire and encourage mothers of all ages.
The letters in this e-book are written by mothers around the world in different stages of parenting, but the theme of motherhood as a messy but beautiful journey resonates through the entire collection. The book features letters from 52 women and photos from 26 women.
A portion of proceeds from the sale of Mother Letters will be donated to The Mercy House, a maternity house for homeless girls in Kenya.
I can’t tell you enough how much I love this e-book. As I read it, I cried more than once, laughed more than a few times and nodded my head in understanding and agreement throughout the whole thing. I really wish I could afford a copy for every single one of my wonderful mom friends.
You can get YOUR own copy of Mother Letters for only $6.99 this week (it will be priced $9.99 regularly). For more than 100 pages of encouragement and inspiration, I’d say that’s a great deal.
If you could say something to other moms, what would you say?
