A Mix of Emotions on Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day.  I have an amazing husband and an incredible daughter.  They have both blessed me so very much.  I could list all of the amazing things they have done for me, but this blog post would get very long.  I'll just say that I feel so loved and appreciated today and I couldn't ask for a better family.

So, then comes a little bit of guilt.  I look at waiting family profiles online and I think of the women who don't even have one child to cherish and love.  I can't dwell on that though.  I know that God has a plan for each and every child.  The child who is supposed to be in our family will find his/her way to us.

At church this morning our pastor preached on 1 Samuel 1.  I felt that this was a great passage for a Mother's Day message.  Hannah was a barren woman.  Her husband's other wife had many children and Hannah had much distress over the situation.  She cried out to the Lord and promised to give her son to the Lord if He would bless her with a child.  After many years of being barren, Hannah was blessed with a child, and she named him Samuel.  When the child was weaned, she gave him to the priest to serve the Lord.  While I can't imagine handing my child over to anyone, our pastor urged us to change our perspective.  All children are God's children.  God is merely entrusting us to raise them for a short time.  Perspective is important.

If I hadn't mentioned it before, our pastor is also in the adoption process.  He spoke again today about the roller coaster of emotions that he is experiencing while on this process.

After church we went out to lunch and did a little shopping.  I bought some books that I've wanted for a while, and the best part was that they were all 60% off.  We stopped and looked at some new washers and dryers, but we didn't make any purchases there.  I thought to myself how blessed we are to be in a financial situation where we can consider new appliances when we want them.

Then we went to the lake to have a picnic with extended family and friends.  I looked around at the kids playing together and the parents enjoying the sun and company.  We are so very blessed.  The weather was gorgeous too.

Then I found out about a situation in which a woman I love was unable to see her children today.  I don't know all of the details, and I'm not sure that I ever will, but my heart is heavy for her and her children.  They are  in my prayers tonight.

Then as we prayed for dinner, we pray for the woman who may be pregnant with the baby we will raise. I imagine the mix of emotions this woman has today.  She may not yet know that she plans to make an adoption plan, or she may already be trying to find the family she wants to raise her child.  Either way, today has to be an emotional day for her.  I pray for peace for her tonight. . .