Happy Mother's Day to all of you blessed moms out there, I hope your day is beyond special. I want to leave a message to those of you who haven't always enjoyed or anticipated the coming of this day. For so long, this was me. For me, Mother's day has always been a confusing day. One filled with loss and hurt and pain and each year brought a new one, but I am so grateful for a new outlook.

Sometimes, mothers are not always what we think they should be or what we would want for ourselves. In fact, sometimes they are quite the opposite. Some do not even have mothers, or some do have them but they don't deserve the title. Some even had fabulous mothers that were robbed from them too early. For any of these topics (and many more), I tell you, today is still a good day.

Make today about forgiveness and a new love. Today is about finding the place in our hearts and spirits to forgive. We may need to forgive our mothers or step mothers for how we feel that they have wronged us. Or an even bigger issue, we may need to forgive God. We do not always see his plan in taking the precious woman that we loved. It may be hard, but oh what a wonderful day when we forgive. Ultimately, they are in such a better place, probably getting to eat all the chocolate and donuts they want with no repercussions. Ha. We can rejoice to him for giving them everything thing that this world could not; more than we could ever even fathom. I have learned that I can not be angry for losing my loved ones because to do so would be a selfish thing. I am confident that the ones we lost got a most glorious inheritance, so how can I ever be angry about that? Can you imagine the beauty that they receive on this Mothers Day? I mean, I'm sure she is missing all the mothers day jewelry, flowers, and candy that they got every year? Right? Hardly.

Growing up yearning for a mother's love is so tough. I know. No one is there to comfort you or love you in normal daily trials. It is tough, but not impossible. Use the loss and hurt that this day could bring as empowerment and encouragement. If you lost a loved mother, remember her today and rejoice the life that she had and now her spirit. Think on all of her funny moments and laugh, because she is laughing and loving now. If you were always without, or worse, would have been better off if you were without, learn from it. Grow to be a mother that defies everything that happened to you. Use your pain to be a better mom. And lastly, if you have a Mother, cherish and respect her as deeply as you can. There are so many people out there that have longed and begged for what you have. So many of us would have loved to have bought chocolate for a mom every year. Happy Mother's Day.

Above are some beautiful photos of significant mothers that have had an influence on my life. Some were lost too soon, some were not what I expected, and some were absolutely perfect. I have a love for you all. I cherish your laughs and smiles and memories past and to come.