Things a Mama can carry:

-her toddler and his 5 superhero friends.

-3 plates of food and the matching sippy cups tucked underneath her elbow.

-a sleeping baby through the grocery store (while bagging her own groceries, too.)

-15 library books she’s knows they won’t read all the way through.

-The 10 pound diaper bag whose contents would impress Mary Poppins.

-the screaming, thrashing preschooler who had to leave the Bluey toy in the store.

-the weight of caring for each individual in the home: food, routines, medicine, appointments, drop offs and pickups, cleaning, discipline, baths, snuggles, and on and on and on…

-the ache of witnessing her daughter’s first heartbreak.

-the pain of seeing her son in his first cast.

-the exhaustion from sleep regression and teething.

-the judgements from those who don’t understand her choices.

-the guilt of not making it to the classroom parties because of work.

-the joy of tiny giggles, first steps, footie pajamas, and dimpled hands holding her own.

-a love so intense and full, she’s certain it will burst from inside her.

Here is to the Mamas who carry so much…be it physical, mental or emotional. May our hearts and arms always be so full we couldn’t imagine carrying one more thing. And may the blessings multiply as we learn to extend our reach, soften our hearts and open our hands to accept all the wonder that motherhood brings. The joys and heartaches, laughter and tears, the memories we’ll never forget and all the mundane moments in between.

This is all holy ground.