I remember as a young girl being asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Without hesitation, I answered that I wanted to be a wife and a mother.
I think part of that came from the vibe of the 50’s and 60’s with stay-at-home moms who vacuumed wearing pearls (just kidding!), sewed kitchen curtains, cooked all meals from scratch (except the once-a-month tv dinner).
And part of it came from my mom personally who, by her actions, showed me how valuable a mother could be in a child’s life.
As I grew older, I aspired to being a culinary scientist or a math teacher. But at the same time, I still had the burning desire/need to be a mom.
After I got married—quite young—we decided to spend some time getting to know each other. One year turned into two, into five, into ten. Finally I couldn’t deny the calling to be a mother, and we started our family.
I remember being asked how I could bring another human being into the mess of today’s world. (Little did they know that it was going to get a lot messier.)
My heartfelt response was that I thought the world would always have its issues, and I wanted to add one more human being who could be part of the solution.
I set about to raise people of faith and good moral standing who could think for themselves and have a desire to make their lives and those around them better.
I will borrow the words my mother said to me once, because they are true for me as well: “I did the best I could and I prayed a lot.” There’s a good chance that you would agree.
Both of my children had meandering paths (I’ve talked about it before), but they always came back around to what is right and what is good. And they never lost track of the value of family.
I love being a mom. I would do anything for my children. They are both adults with spouses (who are wonderful people), careers, real lives. I wasn’t sure how much better it could get.
Until. I. Became. A. Grandparent!
Neal Finnegan McGrane entered my life 10 months ago and I have cherished every moment I share with him. He has brought me such joy and a fullness that I could have never imagined.
My daughter would like a sibling for Neal and asked me if it was hard to juggle two children! Oh yeah! My children were 17.5 month apart. Two in diapers, two with bottles, two in a stroller. And yet, I couldn’t have been happier.
I was told a long time ago that our children are on loan to us. They belong to God and He has entrusted their care to us. I want to wish every mother, grandmother, mother-to-be a Blessed Mother’s Day. As women, we have a special role to be part of the miracle of life. I pray that moms value what a gift it is to be blessed with such a miracle.