I Won't Appreciate my Mom this Mother's Day.

I made it really difficult for my mom when I decided to exit her womb a month and a half early. "Look out, here I come, this chick has things to do!" I thought to myself as a newborn, (I think). My poor mama was in the hospital with me - her February due date baby - after a scare at a Christmas party led her there early and unprecedented.

I remember looking at a picture of her, where she was sitting criss-cross applesauce on a hospital bed with a big purple sweatshirt, holding her big-ass tummy looking like she was about to pop. She once told me that "I even made her go blind for a bit". I was a troublemaker I guess. I ended up being born on the epiphany (when the Shepherds saw the star that led them to baby Jesus), so I ain't mad about it. HOWEVER - I wish I didn't put my mama through so much pain. I was a preemie, so I was super small. I fit in my dad's hand! How could something so small cause so much tRoUbLe???!!!

My sister Ally on the other hand was a hella big baby, and she was born on time, in like, point 5 seconds. That makes me think - well HECK. Birthing a child is so weird. But also incredibly remarkable. Did you know that when a baby is conceived in the mother's womb, they start to share cells, and the cells stay there for-freaking-ever??? Laura Sanders from sciencenews.org wrote an article about this phenomenon. She writes:

"Way back when you and your mom shared a body, your cells mingled. Her cells slipped into your body and your cells circled back into her. This process, called fetal-maternal microchimerism, turns both mother and child into chimeras harboring little pieces of each other."

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? You literally form parts of you that stick to your mom for your whole life, and vice versa. We are biologically connected even after exiting her womb. I started to have "womb time" with my mom in middle school, which basically meant I needed some love and would smoosh onto the couch she was laying on until there was absolutely no room left. The connection was immediate. The soothing feeling was something I desired A LOT. Oh, how I miss womb time!!

It's so beautiful how God modeled the ultimate mom - aka Mama Mary in Heaven. She knew her son was being born to save the world, which meant suffering and dying in the most horrific way. She knew when he was a baby that he would grow up and endure nightmarish pain. She knew that there was nothing she could do to ease it. But she did what she could do - she was a fantastic mother.

There is a scene in the Passion of the Christ where young boy Jesus falls in the street and starts to cry. Mary runs to him and throws her arms around him and comforts him. She kisses him and tells him its okay. She holds him during his time of suffering. She does this again at the foot of the cross, as he surrenders himself into the hands of God. I wonder what she could possibly be thinking in those moments. Her whole world was lost. Yet she found faith in God and was rewarded tremendously.

When I visited Medjugorje, the place our Blessed Mother appeared to children (the visionaries) I could feel the presence of her love everywhere. Her motherly love encompassed the entire village. Her model of love and sacrifice was honored everywhere. Millions flocked to this little town just to see where she appeared all those years ago. Here's a pic of me and Ben reflecting on her mountain!

I walked up that mountain in my mommy's shoes. She made that trek a few times - (Medjugorje was where she found out she was pregnant with my youngest sis, HENCE, her name is Mary) :) In this way, I felt connected to her even though I was thousands of miles away. I think that as human beings we are constantly being yanked in different directions, but our hearts and souls are always fighting to stay connected to our parents. Whether we like it or not! I don't know of an adopted child that never wanted to be close to their biological parents. I can't think of anyone whose lost a parent who doesn't miss them terribly. I have both of my parents alive and in Massachusetts. I'm only 600 miles away, but I long for them every single day.

What I'm trying to say is - Mom's are the best. They are miracle workers. They are boo-boo fixers. They are friends. Hand-holders. Booger-wipers. Soccer-game-carpoolers. Sacrifice-ers. But they are SO much more than that.There are too many categories they fall under, words will never ever suffice.

If you are lucky enough to have a mom at all - don't forget to appreciate her every.single.day. Not just Mother's Day. Especially if during her pregnancy you made her go blind - cus that's kinda sucky :( I love you Mama G, more than words could ever describe. Thank you.