hail to the mothers

Initially I had planned to use a photograph of a yellow rose for my Mother's Day post.  But then we had a really cool hail storm, and I wanted to share this picture instead.  So..."hail to the mothers" was the best tie-in I could think of.  Anyway...let's move on...quickly, quickly.

So many of the women I know are mothers.  All in different stages. Motherhood offers such a huge spectrum of life experiences.

There's my mother.  My friend.  And now my guide in this crazy maze of mothering.  My example.

Then there's my best friend.  Who somehow found a way to be a joyful and loving mother to her two-year-old in the midst of losing and mourning her tiny son.

And my sister-in-law who is mere days away from being a mother.  The anticipation.  The excitement.

I've always had trouble with the phrase "good mother."  I feel that children are born helpless and innocent and it is the duty of a mother to be good, to do her very best.  But the truth is, being a mother is hard sometimes.  It isn't always easy to be good.  So...to all the mothers out there, whatever the stage, whatever the experience...Happy Mother's Day!