happy mother's day

photo of Alisa's mom Cookie, and nephew Sam
Happy Mother's Day to all. To be honest, I have not always enjoyed Mother's Day. It is a day that can often make mothers feel inadequate and those who are not mothers, unfulfilled. But this year has been different. I'm sure it helped that my kind and thoughtful husband made me breakfast and brought home beautiful hanging flower pots for the backyard. But there is also something more that has made this Mother's Day different.

As a child, I loved Mother's Day. We made crafts at school, and I loved seeing my mother smile when she received our simple gifts. (My mom has an amazing ability to make the simplest gesture seem like something grand.) Flowers from the garden were my frequent Mother's Day gift, and my mom made them seem like a gift for a queen.

The past few years have been more difficult on Mother's Day. I have waited longer than I expected to become a mother and receive ceramic hand prints of my children to hang on my walls. My heart yearns for motherhood. I have often been sad when I looked at young mothers and wished for what they had that I lacked - children.

But this Mother's Day, my perspective has changed. Since thinking more seriously about adoption, I have been much happier. As I look at the world, I realize that anyone could be the birth parents of my future child. Possibly a friend who I have not talked to in years could be the one who connects us to our children. I am finding myself more patient with those around me. I want to smile at the people I pass on the street. Consideration of adoption has caused me to ponder how my personal relationships may eventually affect my future familial relationships. I think of the connections in the world on a much broader scale. And I hope that adoption can bring peace and joy not only to my heart but to many others in this world.

-Alisa